BAGHDAD – Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki is facing protests, an oil dispute with the Kurdistan region and turmoil in his own government. Now hackers have attacked his website to brand him a tyrant. A group called “TeaM KuWaiT HaCkErS” posted on Maliki's website a picture of two women in black weeping and expressing support for Iraqis who it said were fighting oppression. It compared the premier to neighboring Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad, who has killed 60,000 people. “You want to be like Bashar Al-Assad. You are a destroyer. Bashar is finished and victory is very close. God help you sons of Iraq against the tyranny,” the statement said. The prime minister's office said it was working to avoid future hacking. Hackers said it was the second time they had hit the premier's website. Thousands of protesters have rallied daily since late December to demonstrate against what they see as marginalization and abuses by Maliki's government and security forces. More than a year after the last American troops left Iraq, Sunni protest and insurgent violence are heightening fears war in neighboring Syria will upset Iraq's fragile sectarian and ethnic balance. – Reuters
