BAGHDAD: New documents detailing alleged prisoner abuse by Iraqi security officials prompted fresh doubts Saturday about Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's bid to remain in power for a second term. The trove of nearly 400,000 WikiLeaks papers detail US military reports of alleged abuse by Iraqi security forces - some of which happened after Al-Maliki became prime minister in May 2006. They were released as Al-Maliki scrambles to keep his job, nearly seven months after national elections failed to produce a clear winner. In a statement, Al-Maliki's office lashed out at WikiLeaks, accusing it of creating a national uproar by releasing documents that it said were being used “against national parties and leaders, especially against the prime minister.” Al-Maliki's office questioned the timing of the release, but expressed confidence in “our peoples' awareness regarding such games or media bubbles that are motivated by known political goals.” The statement said the documents did not present any proof of detainees being improperly treated while Al-Maliki has headed Iraq's Shiite-led government. Instead, it praised him as courageous for taking a tough stance against terrorists. It did not offer any details. Cases of prisoner abuse were also widely reported in Iraq before Al-Maliki took the top job. Al-Maliki's political opponents quickly seized on the documents to highlight their long-standing concerns about a possible second Al-Maliki term as prime minister. A spokeswoman for the Sunni-backed Iraqiya political alliance that won the most seats in the March national election said the WikiLeaks documents show why it's important to have a power-sharing system of government in Iraq. Most of the victims of abuse at the hands of Iraqi security were believed to be Sunnis. In March, Sunnis turned out in droves to vote for the secular Iraqiya bloc led by former prime minister Ayad Allawi, who is Shiite. The Sunni push gave Iraqiya a narrow two-seat win over Al-Maliki's State of Law bloc, but Iraqiya still fell far short of capturing enough support to control parliament and oust him. The close vote touched off a scramble as the sides seek enough support from other parties to secure a majority in the 325-seat parliament. Until the WikiLeaks papers surfaced Friday, Al-Maliki appeared closest to garnering the 163 seats needed for a majority, with the backing of anti-US cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, who lives in self-imposed exile in Iran.
