Kirkuk, Iraq News

American Forces Press Service Nov. 24, 2009 - Iraqi police killed a suspected bombing-cell member and arrested six others in operations over the last two days, military officials reported.

A bomb attack in Salahuddin province damaged the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline more than four days ago and the damage will take up to four more days to fix, an Iraqi Oil Ministry official said on Tuesday.

O'Malley says foes overcame hurdles, will keep talking By James F. Smith Globe Staff / November 23, 2009 Overcoming walkouts and threatened boycotts, Iraqi legislators ended three days of ground-breaking negotiations in Baghdad on the future of the disputed city of Kirkuk with an agreement yesterday to keep talking in coming months, a Boston-based ...

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Iraq's parliament suspended efforts today to reach a deal on a law that is crucial for an election to take place in January and could affect the U.S. military' s plans for a partial withdrawal next year.

The Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, says he is surprised by the veto. Photograph: Qassem Zein/AFP/Getty Images The Sunni vice-president of Iraq today vetoed the country's general election law.

Iraq's pivotal national elections were thrown back into turmoil and potential delay Wednesday after Vice President Tariq al Hashemi vetoed part of an election law and sent it back to parliament.

Only a week after Iraq 's leaders celebrated the passage of an election law that kept the country on course to hold its first national elections in four years, Kurdish lawmakers threatened Tuesday to boycott the election unless their demand for a greater share of parliamentary seats was met.

Baghdad, Nov 16: At least 26 people were killed in fresh violence on the western outskirts of Baghdad and in the disputed northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk Monday, police and medics said.

The UN's special envoy to Iraq has said it will be a "Herculean task" to ensure basic standards are met before Iraq's planned national elections in January.

Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms abducted and killed at least 13 people in a village west of Baghdad, in what some described as revenge against Sunnis who helped fight al-Qaida, Iraqi officials said Monday.

Highly advanced drilling rigs have reached Kirkuk, one of Iraq's richest areas in oil reserves.

Residents watch a US soldier on patrol in Kirkuk. There are concerns that the new election law will cause further problems in the region.

A former U.S. ambassador who served as a private advisor to Kurdish leaders in Iraq defended his financial stake in oil fields in the country's north, insisting Saturday there was no conflict of interest.

The public library here is receiving a facelift that highlights the buildinga s 72-year heritage while hiding modern amenities.

Kirkuk: Criminal gangs in Iraq's northern oil hub of Kirkuk have been exploiting the atmosphere of fear in the ethnically divided city to launch a wave of abductions targeting the scions of wealthy families.

At last the Iraqi parliament has passed a new election law. Aljazeera reports : The election law provides for an open candidate list, allowing voters to cast their ballot for an individual rather than a party.

The United Nations special representative to Iraq appealed on Tuesday to Iraqi officials to meet a series of deadlines in what he called the "Herculean task" of holding national elections in a little more than two months.

"Now there are less than 10 weeks available to organize these elections, which is truly a Herculean task," Ad Melkert told a news conference at the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC). "I hope everyone is aware IHEC is under tremendous pressure to deliver credible elections in a very short period of time."

Obama administration officials breathed a collective sigh of relief Sunday when Iraq's parliament, after weeks of delays, approved a law to hold national elections in January, very likely permitting a major post-election withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Iraqi security forces arrested five suspected terrorists today in two security operations.