Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (center-right) presides over the Iraqi cabinet meeting

Iraqi leaders have failed to meet their deadline to fill the key security posts of interior and defense minister.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki held closed-door talks with lawmakers Sunday in an effort to break the deadlock. Shi'ite and Sunni Arab politicians have been unable to agree on candidates for the posts more than a week since Iraq's new national unity government was sworn in.

In violence Sunday, Iraqi authorities say gunmen killed a prominent tribal leader who helped U.S. forces fight insurgents along the Syrian border.

They say one of Sheikh Osama Jedaan's bodyguards was also killed during the attack in Baghdad's Mansour district. Jedaan had publicly pledged to help U.S. forces in al-Anbar province, where members of his tribe joined a force to fight insurgents.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, two roadside bombs killed three people and wounded 17 others.

Separately, the U.S. military says coalition forces destroyed a weapons cache in the al-Jazirah region. A separate statement says Iraqi police and coalition soldiers killed an insurgent after they were attacked with small arms fire in Samarra.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.