US President George Bush said today that militias are the biggest roadblock to Iraq’s effort to getting a unity government up and running, a goal that would help bolster the president’s sagging approval ratings over its handling of the war.

Gunmen kidnapped 10 people in two villages in northern Iraq today, but US and Iraqi forces rescued seven of them in a gun battle, police said.

In a bid to curb sectarian violence, Iraq’s government plans to restructure the capital’s security forces by putting all police officers and paramilitary soldiers under one commander.