The second-ranking U.S. general in Iraq says the key to reducing violence in the country will be for the new Iraqi government to create jobs and revive the economy.
Lieutenant-General Peter Chiarelli said in a teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon Friday that reviving the Iraqi economy will "take the angry young men off the street."
On Saturday, Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki plans to present his new cabinet to parliament and then immediately swear in the ministers following their approval.
The critical posts of interior and defense minister are yet to be finalized. But officials say the cabinet may be presented without a decision on those two positions.
In the latest violence in Iraq, police in the northern city of Kirkuk say gunmen shot and killed a Shi'ite petroleum engineer outside his home.
In Baghdad, authorities say they found the bullet-riddled bodies of two Iraqis who had apparently been kidnapped by insurgents. In a separate attack, gunmen opened fire on a minibus near the capital, wounding at least 10 people.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.