Iraq's presidency council has approved a security accord with the United States that paves the way for a complete U.S. troop withdrawal by the end of 2011, a spokesman for the council said on Thursday. The pact was approved by the Iraqi parliament last month after protracted negotiations. It is supposed to be put to a public referendum next year.
"The Presidency Council has endorsed the security pact with the United States. That means this pact is put into force," Presidency Council chief of staff Naseer al-Ani told Reuters.
Meanwhile, at least 10 people died and 30 were hurt as two suicide car bomb attacks targeting Iraqi police ripped through the western city of Fallujah on Thursday, a defence ministry source said. The source told AFP that women figured among the dead, while civilians and police were among the wounded.
AFP said that several bodies were left splayed out on the ground. A curfew was imposed in the two districts after the blasts. "The two suicide car bombers burst into the two police centres in the western neighbourhood of Golan and the eastern area of Shurta, almost at the same time at around 0800 GMT," a security official said.
