Sunday, December 25 2005 10:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: The governing Shiite coalition called on Iraqis yesterday (Dec 24, 2005) to accept results showing the religious bloc leading in parliamentary elections and moved ahead with efforts to form a 'national unity' Government.

But as they reached out to Sunni Arabs and others, senior officials in the United Iraqi Alliance headed by cleric Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim deepened the post-election turmoil by claiming that Islamic extremists and Saddam loyalists were the ones questioning the results.

At least one Sunni Arab leader said he was upset by the Shiite comments.

Violence in Iraq left at least nine people dead. Eight people were killed by gunmen around Baghdad and a US soldier died from wounds sustained in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in northern Iraq.

Meanwhile, militants released a video showing Jordanian hostage Mahmoud Suleiman Saidat, giving that country three days to cut ties with the Baghdad Government and free Sajida al-Rishawi, a would-be suicide bomber whose explosives belt failed to go off in November 9 attacks on Amman hotels that killed 60 people.

Saidat, a Jordanian Embassy driver, was kidnapped last Tuesday. Aired on the Al-Arabiya satellite channel, the video had a sign identifying the kidnappers as the Hawk Brigades, a previously unknown group.

Baghdad's tiny Christian community celebrated a sober Christmas Eve in Baghdad, with a few dozen Catholics holding mass in early afternoon to avoid travelling after dark.