Iraq leader expects favourable marks in reports to Congress

Iraq’s prime minister today said he expects the US ambassador and military commander to give his government favourable marks when they report to Congress next week and predicted passage of a law soon that could return more Sunnis to government jobs.

To the south, Basra was reported to be calm after British soldiers abandoned their last outpost there, leaving the country’s second largest city largely in the hands of Iranian-backed Shiite militias.