Leading Iraqi political groups have called for a delay in national elections scheduled for January 30 because of ongoing violence in the country.
At least 15 mostly Sunni and Kurdish political groups say the elections should be delayed by up to six months. They issued their call Friday, after a meeting at the Baghdad home of influential Sunni politician Adnan Pachachi, who also has close ties to Washington.
The call for a postponement comes amid mounting violence, particularly in Sunni Muslim areas to the north and west of Baghdad.
A U.S. soldier was killed Saturday, by a roadside bomb near the town of Duluiya, 90 kilometers north of Baghdad.
