Iraqi cabinet approves US pact amid bloodshed

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraq's cabinet approved a military pact on Sunday that requires the withdrawal of all US troops by the end of 2011, as a deadly suicide car bomb underscored the country's lingering insecurity.

The attack took place within hours of the cabinet decision at a police checkpoint in Iraq's volatile Diyala province, killing at least 15 people. It was the latest in a string of near-daily attacks targeting security forces.

Baghdad and Washington have been scrambling for months to reach an agreement that will govern the status of more than 150,000 US soldiers stationed in some 400 bases across the country after their UN mandate expires on December 31.

Speaking to reporters after the two-and-a-half hour meeting, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said all the most important political blocs had taken a "positive position" on the deal.

"They consider it the best (agreement) possible, because it will manage and end the military presence and guarantee the complete withdrawal of the troops."

MORE