Cleric calls for unity a er militia pullout

Iraq’s most revered Shiite cleric on Friday called for unity among the country’s forces battling the Islamic State group after most of the Iran-backed Shiite militias pulled out of the offensive in the militant-held city of Tikrit in protest over U.S. airstrikes there. The U.S. got involved in the operation and started providing airstrikes on Wednesday in support of the mission at the request of Iraq’s government. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said that coordination between the military, Shiite militias and tribes is necessary for the success of the operation, according to his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the holy site of Karbala.