And with Iraq now asking the U.S. for airstrikes to temper the militants‘ advance — especially as they apparently prepared Friday to again assault the country‘s biggest oil refinery — al-Maliki appears increasingly vulnerable.

„It is necessary for the winning political blocs to start a dialogue that yields an effective government that enjoys broad national support, avoids past mistakes and opens new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis,“ al-Sisanti said in a message delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the holy city of Karbala.