BAGHDAD, Nov 12: Iraqi Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Sunday called in a closed session of parliament for a “comprehensive cabinet reshuffle” as the country staggered after a week of intense violence.

“The prime minister has called for a comprehensive cabinet reshuffle appropriate for the current situation in the country,” a statement from Maliki's office, issued after the closed parliamentary session, said.

The statement said the premier explained the current situation and the “security challenges and efforts made by the government to go ahead with the national reconciliation process” to the parliamentarians.

Iraq is frequently beset by rumours of cabinet reshuffles, and the prime minister has indicated in the past that one or two ministers might be changed.

But Sunday was the first time he has spoken of a “comprehensive” change.

The prime minister's statements come as the country is beset by a brutal wave of violence that has killed over 125 people in the past week, including 35 police recruits in a suicide bombing on Sunday.

Amid the violence, the country's fragile political process appears to be coming apart, with Sunni lawmakers on Wednesday threatening to leave the political process because their needs were not being addressed and even to take up arms again.—AFP