Iraq’s former prime minister is playing a critical, backroom role in undermining the Obama administration’s push for a more inclusive government in Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi officials say, warning that Shiite hard-liner Nouri al Maliki is still pulling the strings behind the scenes in a bid to return to power in the years ahead, according to the Washington Times.

The White House and State Department have put their weight behind Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, seen as a more moderate Shiite politician compared with the uncooperative and sectarian al Maliki.

Al Abadi came to power last year on a promise to usher in a “Sunni Awakening 2.0” against the so-called jihadi Islamic State group, reversing al Maliki’s strong Shiite favoritism.

But little visible progress has been made toward that goal over the past year, in large part because of internal political resistance from Mr. al Maliki, the top player in Iraq’s Shiite Islamic Dawa Party. al Maliki remains a part of the government as vice president after the Obama administration pressured him to resign as prime minister in September.

At the time, administration officials, including President Obama and Secretary of State John F. Kerry, openly blamed al Maliki for the rise in Iraq of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL. They said al Maliki’s aggressively pro-Shiite policies had alienated the minority Iraqi Sunni population and created fertile ground for the extremists to flourish.

Although many in Washington hoped al Maliki would fade away, Khalid Mufriji, a Sunni who chairs the Iraqi parliament’s Committee on Regions and Provinces, said, “Maliki is still controlling a lot of the power.”

Mufriji said many Sunnis in parliament are eager to work with al Abadi but believe the prime minister’s hands are tied. He said al Maliki continues to hold significantly more influence over the coalition of Shiite parties that effectively control the government.