U.S. Army Sgt. Ryan Pike from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and Staff Sgt. Altaf Swati set up a tactical satellite radio during a patrol to check the progress of several school construction projects, funded by the Iraqi government, in Afak, Iraq, on Dec. 28, 2008. DoD photo by Senior Airman Eric Harris, U.S. Air Force. (Released)Dispute Weakens Iraqi Sunni Coalition -- New York Times
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Parliament plunged into a fresh crisis on Saturday, just a day before it was scheduled to reconvene, when members of the main Sunni Arab coalition fell into bitter infighting over choosing a new Parliament speaker.
The fighting centers on replacing Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a prominent Sunni Arab politician who was forced to resign as speaker on Dec. 23 after months of complaints by the main Kurdish and Shiite blocs in Parliament. The blocs said they were upset about his overall performance and his frequent lashing out from the podium. In the end, some Sunni Arab lawmakers agreed and supported his ouster.
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