ON the eighth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq the lessons of two disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been learned.

Iraqi MPs approved an agreement that aims to bring all of Iraq's feuding political blocs into a new government led by Shiite prime minister Nouri Maliki.

Iraq’s prime minister today said he expects the US ambassador and military commander to give his government favourable marks when they report to Congress next week and predicted passage of a law soon that could return more Sunnis to government jobs.

Iraq’s political crisis worsened today as five more ministers announced a boycott of Cabinet meetings – leaving the embattled prime minister’s unity government with no members affiliated with Sunni political factions.

Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr appeared in public for the first time in months to demand that US troops leave Iraq.