Maliki gives in to pressure and steps aside as Iraqi prime minister

Iraq's embattled Nouri al-Maliki has stepped down as prime minister, caving in to international and domestic pressure to give up his post to a rival politician.

The move defuses a political deadlock that has plunged Iraq into uncertainty and opens the way for the formation of a new government that could take on a growing insurgency by Sunni militants that has engulfed much of the country.

Maliki made the announcement on national television late on Thursday, standing alongside senior members of his Islamic Dawa Party, including rival Haider al-Abadi.

He said he was stepping aside in favour of his "brother", in order to "facilitate the political process and government formation".

Abadi, the premier-designate, is a veteran Shiite lawmaker who now faces the immense challenge of trying to unite Iraqi politicians. The country's major political factions deeply distrust each other and the army seems unable to regain territory in the north and west taken by militants from the Islamic State group.