Baghdad - President Massoud al-Barzani of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region will lead a high-ranking delegation to the United States at the end of the week to discuss Baghdad's long-term security agreement with Washington.

The visit comes at the request of the US Department of State and will take a few days, the head of the region's presidential office, Fouad Hussein, told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency on Sunday.

Hussein did not disclose the names of the delegation members, but said that they would meet with senior US officials.

London, Oct 26 : Senior Iraqi politicians have warned that a crucial deal between Baghdad and Washington governing the presence of American troops in the country is doomed to failure after eight months of talks.

“The Sofa [Status of Forces Agreement] is dead in the water,” said one Iraqi politician close to the talks, The Times reported.

He added that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki believed that signing it would be “political suicide”.

London, Oct 25 : Baghdad is unlikely to sign an agreement with Washington on the future of US forces in Iraq by a critical year-end deadline, Prime Minister of country’s largely autonomous Kurdish north has said.

Baghdad - Top US Commander in Iraq General Ray Odierno has pledged to work with the Iraqi and Turkish governments to halt any attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) against Turkey, a US military statement said Saturday.

Odierno met in Turkey Saturday with General Hasan Igsiz, deputy chief of Turkish General Staff, to discuss military cooperation and "US forces' ongoing assistance to Turkey in its effort to defeat the Kurdish rebel group known as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK," according to the statement.

A spate of PKK attacks killed dozens of Turkish soldiers and civilians, sparking public outcry and pledges from Turkish leaders to deal with the group, the statement noted.

Baghdad - An Iraqi soldier was killed and two were wound

Baghdad  - After a series of atrocities against Iraqi Christians in Mosul, around 400 Christians have arrived in Syria over the past fortnight to escape the harsh conditions in their own region, according to a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"Many Christians from Mosul have been systematically targeted recently and are no longer safe there. We are ready to provide support for those Iraqis that seek refuge in neighbouring countries," said Laurens Jolles, UNHCR's representative in Syria.