Iraqis urged to unite and build future of nation

IRAQI prime minister Iyad Allawi urged the country to unite after an election lauded by world leaders as a historic breakthrough that must not be undermined by sectarian conflict.

The election commission said a majority of voters took part in the election in most provinces, a more robust turn-out than many expected, and Iraqis earned praise from across the world for braving threats and deadly attacks to cast their ballots. However, in a stark reminder of the presence of insurgents in the country, militant group Ansar Al-Sunna claimed it shot down a British transport plane that crashed on Sunday, leaving 10 troops dead.

At least 44 people were killed in other attacks on poll day despite a security clampdown, although the scale of the violence was much lower than feared.