Mousab Alhamadee

Iraq appeared closer to its long-predicted disintegration Thursday as Kurdish leaders ordered steps to hold a referendum “as soon as possible” on self-rule for their oil-rich territory and Islamist extremists improved their military position by seizing additional territory across the border in Syria.

Saudi Arabia has deployed 30,000 troops to reinforce its border with Iraq, according to Saudi-owned television station al-Arabiya.

The Islamic State has ordered rival Sunni militant groups in Iraq to lay down their arms and swear allegiance.

Iraq’s newly elected parliament adjourned Tuesday without deciding on a new speaker.

WASHINGTON Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki may not be able to muster enough support in parliament to keep his job.

Iraq’s top Shia cleric on Friday stressed the need for Iraqi politicians to put aside their differences in order to choose the next prime minister before a new parliament convenes next week.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the British Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday that he welcomed Syrian airstrikes against radical Sunni militants on the border between Syria and Iraq.

After taking a hands-off approach toward the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for several months, the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad has reversed course and launched air attacks against the Sunni Muslim extremist group inside both Syria and Iraq.

In June, as I was finishing a short fellowship in the United States, many of my friends and family members encouraged me to stay, saying it was the right moment to seek asylum in a country that many Syrians only dream about reaching. None of the advice resonated with me, however. I was determined to go back, with my new experience, to what I thought would be my natural role in the rebellion against the Assad dictatorship.