Iraqi PM orders air force to halt strikes on civilian areas

Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that he had ordered the Iraqi Air Force to halt shelling of civilian areas – even in those towns controlled by ISIS – in order to protect civilians. He acted the day after a visit to Baghdad by US Secretary of State John Kerry. Sunni Muslim tribal figures, whom the US hopes can be persuaded to turn against the jihadists, have demanded a freeze on military action in civilian areas as one of their conditions for their support of the Shi'ite-led government. Herak, a Sunni opposition grouping, said they "positively welcomed" Abadi's comments.