‘GREAT CONCERN’

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi Announces Resignation

Hundreds of Iraqis have died and thousands have been injured in anti-government protests over the past two months.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi announced Friday that he would resign after the country’s top Shiite cleric called for a change in leadership. Iraqis have been staging anti-government protests for almost two months over mass unemployment, poor government services, and alleged governmental corruption. More than 300 people have been killed and thousands more injured since the protests began. In a Friday sermon, after one of the bloodiest days of protests yet, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said the government should “reconsider its options.” Abdul Mahdi said in a statement that he listened to the call with “with great concern" and would send parliament a demand to accept his resignation. Celebrations erupted in Tahrir Square after the announcement, according to Al Jazeera.