At least 19 people, including four soldiers, were killed in a suicide bombing today, as gunmen in military fatigues kidnapped 29 people, the latest victims of the violence and lawlessness sweeping Iraq, police said.

Police in Iraq today discovered the bodies of two men, shot in the head and chest, a day after gunmen beheaded four policemen and a lawyer.

A rubbish collector and a Baghdad University security chief were killed today - among the latest victims of seemingly random violence in Iraq as Prime Minister Nouri Maliki steps up his efforts to bring insurgents into the political process.

It was a good day for Iraq’s new prime minister. Not only did he announce the death of the country’s most-feared terror leader, he also won approval for new security ministers, the men charged with stopping the violence in Iraq.

Iraq’s parliament approved new ministers of defence, interior and national security today, ending a three week stalemate among Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic parties over the crucial posts.