Fourteen people were killed in rebel attacks Monday as Iraqi leaders discussed the final line-up of a new government that aims to curb raging sectarian bloodshed.
Five people died in a car bomb attack in Baghdad's central Zawr Park and another five were killed in a mortar attack in central Baghdad's Al-Tehran square, an interior ministry official said. Three Iraqis were shot dead in separate rebel attacks, while a US soldier died in a bomb blast.
Against the backdrop of violence, representatives of the country's parliamentary blocs met President Jalal Talabani to finalise the line-up of the first permanent government of the post-Saddam Hussein era, almost five months after a landmark election.
Although the details of Monday's political meeting were not known immediately, a source close to the negotiations said that prime minister designate Nuri al-Maliki was expected to announce the new cabinet soon.
Following his nomination, Maliki had said he would form the cabinet by May 10 and had pledged to appoint independent candidates to head the country's important security posts. The leaders of the dominant Shiite United Iraqi Alliance also held a meeting Monday to name its candidate for the crucial interior ministry, the source said.
Bodies of brutally murdered men have been found scattered across Iraq in sectarian-related bloodshed, while 35,000 civilians have died in violence related to Iraq's Sunni-led insurgency since the end of the US-led 2003 invasion, according to some estimates.
On Monday, police recovered eleven bodies, six in Baghdad, of men who had been tortured and killed in sectarian violence.
Three bodies were found in the town of Al-Mahawil, south of Baghdad. The dead men were police commandos who were kidnapped a few days back from the town, police said.
The bodies of two Iraqi journalists working for local television channel Al-Nahrain TV were also recovered after the men were shot dead Sunday south of Baghdad by assailants dressed in police uniforms, their station manager said.
The US military said Monday it had killed wanted "terrorist" Ali Wali, a member of the mainly Kurdish Ansar al-Islam militant group, in a Baghdad raid.
The military said Ali Wali, whose full name was believed to be Abbas bin Farnas bin Qafqas, a known chemical expert, was killed during a raid in Baghdad's upscale Mansour district on Saturday at 1 pm (0900 GMT).
The US military also announced the deaths of two US soldiers in Iraq. One soldier was killed on Monday when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb during a patrol south-east of Baghdad. The other soldier was killed Sunday in the northern town of Tal Afar.