Sistani backs new PM, urges unity and end to corruption

Iraq's most influential religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, threw his weight behind the new prime minister and said the transition was a rare opportunity to resolve political and security crises.

Underscoring the urgency of containing a sectarian conflict fueled by Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) militants, Sistani urged the military to hoist only Iraq's flag to avoid factionalism.