Sectarian strife assisted by foreign plots: Iraqi PM

Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said the recent violence in the country`s Sunni province is a sign that sectarian strife is returning to the country assisted by foreign plots.

"Sectarian strife in Iraq in the past was unprecedented, but now it comes back by planned schemes," Maliki said here Saturday at the International Islamic Conference for the Convergence and Dialogue.

Clashes erupted Tuesday between Iraqi security forces and anti-government Sunni protesters in Hawijah, where hundreds of security members backed by helicopters stormed a sit-in by Sunni Arabs.

The operation sparked further clashes across Iraq between the Sunni tribes and the security forces.

IANS