BAGHDAD -- With political leaders deadlocked, Iraq's parliament fought Monday over when to hold its next session, potentially delaying the formation of a new government for weeks despite the threat from extremists who have seized control of a large chunk of the country and who have declared the establishment of an Islamic state.
The acting speaker of parliament initially announced that the Legislature would not meet again until mid-August because there was no agreement among factions over the top leadership posts -- particularly the prime minister, with incumbent Nouri al-Maliki facing a campaign to replace him.
But after an uproar over the long delay, Speaker Mahdi al-Hafidh announced Monday night that there was a preliminary agreement among lawmakers to meet Sunday. But even that appeared uncertain, since al-Hafidh added that an official announcement of the date would not come until today.
Also on Monday, the military suffered a new setback in its battle with the extremist advance when the top commander of the armed forces battling militants in the west was killed by a mortar strike.
The United States, which withdrew the last American troops from Iraq in 2011, along with other world powers, has pressed for the quick formation of a new government, as has Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. They are calling for an inclusive government that will draw support among Iraq's Sunni minority away from the insurgency, led by an al-Qaida breakaway group called the Islamic State.
In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. was disappointed that Iraq's leaders haven't moved more quickly to unify the country. He said difficult steps must be taken to solve the problem but that "reaching those agreements and making those difficult decisions are necessary for Iraq to survive."
Lawmakers met last week for the new parliament's first session since April elections, but the meeting ended without agreement on a new prime minister, president and speaker of parliament. The Legislature had been expected to meet again today, but that session was called off because no progress had been made over the past week untangling the political situation.
The main point of contention is the post of prime minister, which holds most of the power in Iraq. Al-Maliki's opponents -- and many former allies -- want him removed, accusing him of monopolizing power during his eight years in office and contributing to the current crisis by failing to promote reconciliation with Sunnis.
Al-Maliki, whose State of Law bloc won the largest share of seats in April's election, has vowed he will not abandon his bid for a third consecutive term. But he didn't win a majority in parliament and, thus, needs allies to form a government.
An alliance of Shiite parties has yet to decide on its candidate for the job. The Sunnis and Kurds have refused, in turn, to present their respective nominees for speaker and president. Under an informal system that took root after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that drove out Saddam Hussein, the prime minister's job goes to a Shiite, the president's post to a Kurd and the speaker of parliament's position to a Sunni.
There's no guarantee that even a new government in Iraq can roll back the militants. The insurgent blitz has overrun most Sunni-majority areas of the country -- including the second-largest city, Mosul -- in a matter of weeks. But it has slowed since encountering stronger resistance in Shiite-dominated areas.
Last week, the group declared the establishment of a transnational Islamic state, or caliphate, ruled by Shariah law in the land it controls in Iraq and neighboring Syria.
Near Beiji, north of Tikrit, government troops protecting the country's largest oil refinery remain under siege.
Sabah al-Nuaman, the spokesman for counterterrorism services, said airstrikes hit a 60-vehicle insurgent convoy moving toward Beiji on Monday, destroying as many as 45 of them. The report could not be independently verified.
The government has also struggled for months to wrest back ground lost west of Baghdad in the Sunni-dominated province of Anbar.
On Monday, a mortar attack killed the commander of the Iraqi army's 6th Division, Maj. Gen. Najim Abdullah Ali, while he was overseeing a raid on the Anbar village of Karma, said army spokesman Brig. Gen. Saad Maan Ibrahim.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a checkpoint in the Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah, killing five policemen and three civilians, a police official said. He said 16 people were wounded.
Information for this article was contributed by Sinan Salaheddin and Josh Lederman of The Associated Press.
A Section on 07/08/2014