Leader close to naming ministers
Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he may be ready to name his nominees for defence and interior minister, the two men who will likely lay the groundwork for carrying out his pledge to take over security around within 18 months, and eventually open the way for US troops to go home.
The chance that Iraq’s key security ministries may be filled by the weekend came on a quiet day that only saw nine killings, including the deaths of three suspected insurgents by US troops on the outskirts of the capital.
