The speaker of the Iraqi parliament says a long-awaited legislative session planned for Monday has been postponed, signaling that the country's four-month-long political stalemate has not been resolved.
Talks among Sunni Arab, Kurdish and shi'ite negotiators have been deadlocked over Sunni Arab and Kurdish demands that Shi'ites replace Ibrahim al-Jaafari as their nominee for prime minister. Jaafari's critics say he has done little to stop a surge in sectarian violence.
Meanwhile, police say at least 10 people were killed Sunday, when a car bomb exploded in Mahmoudiyah, a town south of Baghdad.
Police in the capital say a car bomb blast near a Shi'ite mosque killed at least four people and wounded six.
Separately, Baghdad police say at least 12 people have been kidnapped from a business in the capital, during a raid that occurred in broad daylight.
Elsewhere, the U.S. military said three U.S. Marines were killed in enemy action west of Baghdad on Saturday.
Earlier today, U.S. officials said coalition forces killed five insurgents and wounded five during a raid on a suspected terrorist safe house south of the capital.
A U.S. statement says three of the dead were wearing suicide bomb vests. One woman was also reported killed during the raid at Yusifiyah.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
