BAGHDAD: Iraq’s main Sunni Arab bloc yesterday ended an almost year-long boycott of Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government, in a major boost for reconciliation in the deeply divided country.

ABU DHABI: Iraq seeks debt forgiveness from other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, following the waiver by the United Arab Emirates of almost $7bn in obligations, the Iraqi government spokesman said yesterday.

NAJAF, IRAQ: Iraq said yesterday it will reject any security pact with the US unless it sets a date for the pullout of US-led foreign troops, a proposal turned down by US President George W Bush.

BAGHDAD: Jordanian King Abdullah’s planned visit to Iraq today has been postponed, an Iraqi official said yesterday, adding that no reason had been given.

BAGHDAD: Bombs killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens in northern and western Iraq yesterday, but the Iraqi military said overall attacks across the country were down 85% from a year ago.

MANAMA: Bahrain has nominated an ambassador to Iraq, becoming the third Arab country to designate an envoy to the war-ravaged country since the US invasion in 2003, local newspapers said yesterday.

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s defence ministry yesterday denied any Israeli air force drills had taken place in its airspace after a report that the Israelis were preparing there for a possible strike on Iran.

BAGHDAD: The remains of two US soldiers missing in Iraq since their capture by insurgents more than a year ago have been found, the US military said yesterday.

TEL AVIV: Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak and armed forces chief Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi will separately visit Washington this month for discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme, diplomatic sources said yesterday.

BAGHDAD: US forces detained nine suspected members of the Al Qaeda in Iraq group in separate raids, an Iraqi was reported killed and eight civilians were reported injured in Iraq yesterday.

BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces are poised to launch a major crackdown in volatile Diyala province, the interior ministry said yesterday, the latest in a series of operations aimed at stabilising the country.

ROME: Iraq needs to free itself from foreign meddling in order to gain stability, Saudi King Abdullah told Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper in an interview published yesterday.

BAGHDAD: Leaning on the handlebars of his Iranian-made three-wheel motorbike, Safar Abdul is just one of millions of Iraqis enjoying the tidal wave of goods flooding into war-ravaged Iraq from former foe Iran.

WASHINGTON: The last US surge brigade is now out of Iraq, but there are still 150,000 US troops in country, well above pre-surge levels, a Pentagon spokesman said yesterday.

BAGHDAD: Millions of Iraqis displaced by sectarian conflict are still struggling to get sufficient food, shelter and basic services like water and health care, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

WASHINGTON: US soldiers face death and danger from shoddy electrical work at their bases in Iraq, raising further questions about a heavy reliance on private contractors, the New York Times reported yesterday.