Iraq Parliament approves new Iraq unity gov’t

Via the AP:

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Parliament approved Iraq’s new national unity government on Saturday, achieving a goal the United States hopes will reduce widespread violence so that American forces can eventually go home. But as the legislators met, at least 27 people were killed and dozens wounded in a series of attacks.

Police also found the bodies of 21 Iraqis who apparently had been kidnapped and tortured by death squads that plague the capital and other areas.

The wounded included two British soldiers whose convoy was hit by a roadside bomb in the southern city of Basra, police said.

In a show of hands, the 275-member parliament approved each of the 39 Cabinet ministers proposed by incoming Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki and his new Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish ministers then took their oaths of office during the nationally televised session in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

That completed a democratic process that began following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

In his first address, al-Maliki told parliament that he would make restoring stability and security the top priority of his new administration. He said he would “work fast” to improve and coordinate Iraqi forces so they can reduce attacks by insurgent groups and militias.