Iraqi PM says he will submit resignation to parliament

By Ibrahim Saleh

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Friday said he would submit his resignation to parliament.

Earlier on Friday, Ali al-Sistani, a prominent Shia cleric, during a Friday sermon in Karbala city, called on parliament to "reconsider its support to the government in order to avoid dragging the country into chaos."

Abdul-Mahdi said in a statement that he will submit his resignation in response to al-Sistani's call.

Iraq has been rocked by mass protests since early October against poor living conditions and corruption. Protesters’ demands later spiraled into calls for dissolving the government of Abdul-Mahdi.

According to Iraq's High Commission for Human Rights, at least 348 Iraqis have been killed and 15,000 injured since the protests began on Oct. 1.