Rumsfeld and Rice make surprise visit to Iraq

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice have made a surprise visit to Iraq to show support for the country's new Prime Minister-designate.

Jawad al-Maliki was chosen as the new Shi'ite nominee for the post after outgoing PM Ibrahim al-Jaafari agreed to step aside due to objections from Sunni and Kurdish groups.

The trip to Baghdad comes at a time when a number of retired US generals are demanding Mr Rumsfeld’s resignation due to his alleged mishandling of the Iraqi invasion.

It also follows a video message from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, warning of more attacks to end the US occupation of the country.