BAGHDAD - Sunni legislators ended their five-week boycott of parliament Thursday, raising hopes the factious assembly can make progress on benchmark legislation demanded by Washington. The U.S. announced that two American soldiers have been charged with killing an Iraqi.
The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's session after striking a deal with other blocs to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite-dominated assembly last month for erratic behaviour.
Al-Mashhadani is expected to gracefully resign after presiding over a number of sessions. Shiite legislator Hassan al-Suneid, an aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said al-Mashhadani's return came after secret conditions that should not be made public.
The Sunnis ended their walkout two days after Shiite legislators loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ended their boycott after officials accepted their demands for rebuilding a Shiite shrine damaged by bombings.
Those two boycotts had paralyzed the 275-member parliament, which is under strong criticism from U.S. critics for failing to approve key legislation and for plans to take a month's vacation in August at a time when American and Iraqi troops are dying on the battlefield.
The sensitivities displayed by both the Accordance Front and al-Sadr's allies indicates the depth of suspicion and sectarian rivalry prevalent in Iraq after more than four years of war.
On Thursday, the U.S. military said an army lieutenant colonel had been relieved of command in connection with the murder charges, which were filed this week against two soldiers -- Sgt. 1st Class Trey A. Corrales of San Antonio and Spc. Christopher P. Shore of Winder, Ga.
Each was charged with one count of murder in the death, which allegedly occurred June 23 near the northern city of Kirkuk, the United States said in a statement.
Lt. Col. Michael Browder, who was their battalion commander, is not a suspect and has not been charged with any offence but was fired for leadership failure, the U.S. said.
No further details were released, but the statement noted that the charges are allegations and neither of the two soldiers has been convicted.
The charges were announced one day after a U.S. marine was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to murder in connection with the death of an Iraq last year in Hamdania. Cpl. Trent Thomas was acquitted of the most serious charge of premeditated murder during a trial at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Meanwhile, the U.S. command announced Thursday that four U.S. soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed the day before in a roadside bombing in east Baghdad. No further details were released.
To the north, American and Iraqi forces were continuing operations to clear Sunni extremists from the eastern part of Baqouba, 56 kilometres north of Baghdad, the United States said.
U.S. troops regained control of the western half of the city last month and launched operations into the rest of Baqouba last Tuesday.
Since last month, the Americans said they have killed at least 67 al Qaeda operatives in Baqouba, arrested 253, seized 63 weapons caches and have destroyed 151 roadside bombs.
In Baghdad, suspected Shiite militiamen blew up the minaret on a Sunni mosque in the city's Jihad area, police said. The bodies of two men with bullets in their heads were found dumped near the mosque, police said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Gunmen firing from a speeding car killed a bodyguard of a Sunni parliament member in Mosul, police said. A Kurdish political party member was ambushed and killed in eastern Mosul, police also said, speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason.
In western Iraq, residents said assailants blew up two bridges in Haditha overnight. The bridges connect Haditha with Anah, about 260 kilometres northwest of the capital. The American forces are blocking the area now looking for those involved in the operation.
The residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for their safety.
