Sadr’s militia tightens grip on healthcare
After being sworn in last week, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki outlined two big priorities: reasserting a government monopoly on lethal force by disbanding militias and ending rampant political corruption. But a day spent at Iraq’s Health Ministry shows how big a task Mr. Maliki has set for himself. On one recent morning, six men were loading a simple wooden coffin bearing their relative onto a beat-up Toyota pickup as a female relative in a billowing black abaya choked back tears. Nearby guards barely cast a second glance at the all too common scene. Full Story