BAGHDAD — Iraqis and foreign brokers alike breathed a sigh of relief Friday after Nouri Al-Maliki stepped aside, which many saw as vital to tackling a spiralling military and humanitarian crisis. A day after Washington claimed its air strikes averted genocide in northern Iraq, aid groups grappled with the scope of the disaster which saw a militant-led blitz displace hundreds of thousands of people in a matter of days. Some fear that even with the departure of Maliki, a divisive two-term prime minister, the type of significant changes needed to reunite the fractious country will not be made.

Maliki bowed to huge domestic and international pressure, throwing in the towel after an acrimonious rearguard action to stay in office, and backing his designated successor Haidar Al-Abadi. His decision was swiftly welcomed by the US and the UN. “Today, Iraqis took another major step forward in uniting their country,” US National Security Advisor Susan Rice said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the swift formation of “an inclusive, broad-based government ready to immediately tackle these pressing issues.” – AFP