Sunni clerics warn of coming Shi'ite militia attacks in Baghdad

A Sunni woman cries after being driven from her home by a Shi'ite rampage in Baghdad in December.

BAGHDAD, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister accused a leading Sunni Muslim clerics' group on Friday of stoking tension by saying that militias were preparing attacks on Sunni neighbourhoods in Baghdad.

The Muslim Clerics' Association, an umbrella grouping of religious leaders of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority, said in a statement on Thursday that militias linked to an unnamed political group were planning attacks.

"The statement from the Muslim Clerics' Association is totally baseless and raises tension, and we hold the Muslim Clerics responsible for any action that results from this," said a statement from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office.

The clerics' statement did not identify the militia or say that it was Shi'ite. But the use of the word "militia" and the suggestion of links to government parties is an unmistakable indication to Iraqis that it was accusing Shi'ite groups.

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