BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Caving in to relentless pressure at home and abroad to step aside, Nuri al-Maliki dropped his bid for a third term as prime minister of Iraq on Thursday and pledged support for his replacement, moderate Shi'ite Haider al-Abadi.
Appearing on state television flanked by Abadi and other Shi'ite politicians, a grim-faced Maliki spoke of the grave "terrorist" threat from Sunni Islamic State militants before giving up his fight to stay on.
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