WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A U.S. commission on religious freedom Friday urged Iraqi government officials to work hard to prevent a return to increased sectarian violence.
Recent attacks on a predominantly Shiite village near Mosul, and other Shiite-dominated areas, as well as a suicide-bombing in a Yazdi-dominant town prompted the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to voice its concern, the panel said in a news release.
Actions the Iraqi government can take include "providing visible and effective protection to all religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq, ensuring greater sectarian integration into the government and security forces, and bolstering police protection where it is needed the most by shifting resources when necessary," said Leonard Leo, the committee's chairman.
