Some Yazidis find new shelter in northern Iraq, as U.S airstrikes continue to target Islamic State positions. Meanwhile, Iraq’s president names a new prime minister to replace Nouri al-Maliki. (Reuters) 
 
 Some Yazidis find new shelter in northern Iraq, as U.S airstrikes continue to target Islamic State positions. Meanwhile, Iraq’s president names a new prime minister to replace Nouri al-Maliki. (Reuters) 
 
 Iraq’s president on Monday asked a veteran Shiite politician, Haider al-Abadi, to form a new government, setting the stage for a vicious political showdown in a country already struggling to contain an Islamist extremist insurgency. 
 
 As his already limited political support crumbled, the incumbent prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, dug in for a fight. He argued that the appointment of the 62-year-old Abadi as prime minister-designate was legally invalid. 
 
 The clash has raised deep concerns at home and abroad about Iraq’s teetering stability. Ominously, Maliki reminded the country in a televised address Monday of his position as head of the armed forces and assured soldiers that the “error” will be rectified. 
 
 For a second day, blue-and-white armored personnel carriers belonging to security forces that answer directly to Maliki were stationed around the Green Zone. A hulking tank sat at one of the entrances to the secured zone, which houses government buildings. The armed forces remained on high alert, officials said, though Saad Maan, a spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, maintained that the deployment was routine. 
 
 “We are entering a potential clash,” said an Iraqi official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. “On the ground, [there are] tanks and armored vehicles. It’s a very complicated situation with the army.” 
 
 1 of 42 Full Screen Autoplay Close Aug. 10, 2014 Aug. 9, 2014 Saturday Aug. 7, 2014 Thursday Aug. 5, 2014 Tuesday Aug. 4, 2014 Monday Aug. 3, 2014 Sunday Skip Ad × Yazidis cross into Iraqi Kurdistan from Syria View Photos After being stranded on the parched Mount Sinjar for almost a week and then walking 12 miles to seek refuge in Syria, some of the persecuted civilians were able to safely return to the Kurdish region of Iraq with the help of Syrian Kurdish forces. Caption After being stranded on the parched Mount Sinjar for almost a week and then walking 12 miles to seek refuge in Syria, some of the persecuted civilians were able to safely return to the Kurdish region of Iraq with the help of Syrian Kurdish forces. Aug. 12, 2014 Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria. Khalid Mohammed/AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 In a sign of U.S. concern, President Obama on Monday publicly announced his backing for Abadi, saying that his nomination was “a promising step forward.” Both he and Vice President Biden called Abadi to express their support. 
 
 Abadi now has 30 days to form a government, and during that time Maliki will remain the caretaker prime minister. 
 
 The U.S. government has said it will significantly expand aid to Iraq in its battle with al-Qaeda-inspired militants only if it forms a government that embraces the country’s different religious and ethnic groups. 
 
 “The only lasting solution is for Iraqis to come together and form an inclusive government,” Obama told reporters in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where he is vacationing. 
 
 In his eight years as premier, Maliki has consolidated power in his office, ruling in an authoritarian style that has chipped away at his support among minority Sunnis, as well as his fellow Shiites. He is widely blamed for fostering an environment that has allowed Sunni extremists from the Islamic State to seize control of huge chunks of Iraqi territory. 
 
 But in the face of a chorus of calls for him to leave — from the country’s religious authorities, his political rivals and even members of his own bloc — Maliki has stubbornly refused. Pressure to form a new government has mounted amid fears that Islamist extremists will exploit any vacuum. Maliki maintains, however, that since his bloc won the most seats in parliament in national elections this spring, he should be the one leading the next government. 
 
 Hours after Iraqi President Fouad Massoum asked Abadi to form a government, the enraged outgoing premier made a televised address lambasting the move and declaring that he personified the governing State of Law coalition. 
 
 “I am Nouri al-Maliki, and I am the head of State of Law, and I am the head of Dawa [party], and no one has the right to deal under our name without my approval,” he said, in a speech that suggested his desperation. 
 
 But his State of Law coalition has crumbled, with 38 of its 96 parliamentarians signing a letter to the president declaring their support for Abadi. They were among 127 Shiite politicians who supported Abadi’s bid in the 328-seat parliament. Abadi will probably be able to form a majority with support from Kurdish and Sunni factions, analysts said. 
 
 Indeed, a late-night show of force Sunday — when Maliki announced that he would sue the president rather than acquiesce to the naming of a new prime minister and deployed security forces to strategic points in the capital — appeared to have galvanized efforts to oust him. 
 
 “It has backfired and was unwise,” said Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who served as foreign minister in the Maliki government. “We have passed the stage of military coups and taking power by force.” 
 
 The army indicated Monday that its loyalties do not lie with Maliki. 
 
 “We are the army of Iraq, not of Maliki,” the armed forces said on its official Twitter account. “We will continue to fulfill our promises, and for our nation we shall be defenders.” 
 
 But Iraq’s security forces are fragmented and in disarray after a partial collapse of the army in June. 
 
 Maliki has also built up a support base in Iraq’s militias, most notably the notorious Asaib Ahl al-Haq, whose fighters were out in force for a second night Monday. However, analysts argue that Asaib and others are ultimately loyal to Iran, which has also withdrawn its backing for Maliki. 
 
 The Obama administration has deployed its top officials to encourage a smooth transition to a government led by Abadi, a seasoned member of Maliki’s party. 
 
 In a phone call Monday morning with Massoum, Biden commended the Iraqi president for nominating the prime minister and emphasized Obama’s “desire to boost coordination with a new Iraqi government and Iraqi Security Forces to roll back gains” by the Islamic State, according to a statement. So far, a U.S. air campaign against the insurgents has largely been contained to the country’s mostly Kurdish north. 
 
 In his speech Sunday night, Maliki accused the United States of supporting a breach in the Iraqi constitution. 
 
 Maliki on Monday filed a letter with Iraq’s Supreme Court arguing that Abadi’s appointment is null and void. His argument centers on a technicality: that his State of Law bloc, rather than a wider Shiite coalition, should have been allowed to nominate the president and that he is the only one who can speak for it. Human rights organizations have in the past complained that he controls the judiciary. 
 
 “They stabbed us in the back,” Jumaa al-Adwani, a member of the State of Law coalition who is sticking by Maliki, said Monday, calling the move a coup. 
 
 Iraqi and U.S. officials hope that a new leader will help bridge the country’s rifts and bring Iraq’s disaffected Sunni minority back into the political process, eroding support for the Sunni extremists. 
 
 Abadi, a British-educated engineer who hails from the capital, Baghdad, still faces an uphill battle. 
 
 “He’s a fresh face in a sense,” said Kirk Sowell, a political risk analyst and publisher of the newsletter Inside Iraqi Politics, who also described Abadi as a “gray suit kind of guy.” “But this isn’t a radical change, it’s a modest change.” 
 
 Abadi, a former communications minister, told state television that his first task as prime minister would be to curb the influence of the Islamic State. 
 
 Anne Gearan in Sydney, Mustafa Salim in Baghdad and Ahmed Ramadan in Beirut contributed to this report. ||||| BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's new president on Monday snubbed the powerful incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and nominated the deputy parliament speaker to form the new government, raising fears of more infighting in the government as country faces the threat of Sunni militants in the north. 
 
 U.S. and Kurdish flags flutter in the wind as displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Syria-Iraq border at Feeshkhabour bridge over the Tigris River at Feeshkhabour border point, in northern... (Associated Press) 
 
 Iraqi security forces stand guard amid tight security by Iraqi security forces that sealed off roads around a pro-government demonstration supporting Embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq, Monday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Iraqis chant pro-government slogans and wave national flags to show support for embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. Al-Maliki is taking... (Associated Press) 
 
 An Iraqi soldier stands guard amid tight security measures by Iraqi security forces during a pro-government demonstration to show support for embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in Baghdad, Iraq,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle at a camp in Derike, Syria, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Kurdish authorities at the border believe some 45,000 Yazidis passed the river crossing in the past... (Associated Press) 
 
 Iraqis chant pro-government slogans and display placards bearing a picture of embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. Al-Maliki is taking... (Associated Press) 
 
 Iraqis chant pro-government slogans and wave national flags in a show of support for embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. Al-Maliki... (Associated Press) 
 
 Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle at a camp in Derike, Syria, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Kurdish authorities at the border believe some 45,000 Yazidis passed the river crossing in the past... (Associated Press) 
 
 In a televised address Fouad Massoum gave Haider al-Ibadi 30 days to form a new government and present it to parliament for approval, expressing his hope he would succeed. 
 
 Al-Ibadi, who pledged to form a government to "protect the Iraqi people," was nominated for the post by the Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition of Shiite parties that al-Maliki's State of Law is part of, but has turned against him. 
 
 Al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated bloc won the most parliament seats in April elections and the prime minister sees himself as rightfully keeping the post. In a midnight speech, al-Maliki said he was filing a suit against the president for neglecting to name him prime minister by Sunday's deadline and all but demanded he be renominated. 
 
 Critics say al-Maliki, a Shiite, contributed to the crisis by monopolizing power and pursuing a sectarian agenda that alienated the country's Sunni and Kurdish minorities. 
 
 Al-Ibadi's nomination came hours after al-Maliki deployed his elite security forces in the streets of Baghdad, partially closed two main streets — popular spots for pro and anti-government rallies — as hundreds of his supporters took to the streets. 
 
 "We are with you, al-Maliki," they shouted, waving posters of the incumbent premier, singing and dancing. 
 
 Mohammed al-Ogeili, a lawmaker from al-Maliki's list, rejected the nomination of al-Ibadi arguing that this move "runs against the constitution" because al-Maliki's party is the largest bloc and the National Alliance has no right to present any candidate. 
 
 "This decision would lead the country to a big problem and the president bears full responsibility for this situation," he told The Associated Press. 
 
 Also Monday, senior U.S. officials said the Obama administration, which launched airdrops and airstrikes last week to support Kurdish and Iraqi forces battling militants from the Islamic State group, has begun directly providing weapons to the Kurdish peshmerga forces who have started to make gains against the al-Qaida breakaway group.
– The big question in Iraq today: Will Nouri al-Maliki go quietly? As expected, President Fouad Massoum snubbed the two-term prime minister and said he must step down to make way for someone new. Massoum picked deputy parliament speaker Haider al-Ibadi to be the next PM and gave him 30 days to form a government, reports the AP. "Now the Iraqi people are in your hands," said Massoum. The move comes after Maliki addressed the nation at midnight and insisted that he be allowed to remain in office because his is the largest bloc in parliament, reports the New York Times. He even deployed troops in the capital as a show of force. But those actions may have only hurt his cause further, reports the Washington Post. It quotes a Kurdish politician who says the speech triggered a "major defection" today against Maliki within his Shiite coalition. "We have passed the stage of military coups and taking power by force," says Hoshyar Zebari. The US, which has long seen Maliki as too polarizing, has already made clear that it expects Maliki to abide by Massoum's decision and warned against any use of force. (Meanwhile, Iraq is still battling militants from the Islamic State.)