The Associated Press reported from Baghdad Iraq’s top Shiite cleric has urged the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Dr. Haider al-Abadi to press ahead with reforms, but cautioned that the anti-corruption drive must not be at the expense of the fight against ISIS in control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
In a Friday sermon delivered by a representative, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said the government had no choice but to continue the reforms and must swiftly go after the “big thieves of public funds.”
The Iranian-born cleric also cautioned against the reform campaign distracting authorities from what he called the “honorable and righteous” battle against ISIS.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shiite, has won parliamentary support to trim his government and vowed to fight corruption, amid rising popular discontent over poor services.
Al-Sistani’s comments were delivered at the holy city of Karbala south of Baghdad.