Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday their political blocs would enter into an alliance, bringing Iraq one step closer to forming a new government after an election marred by low turnout and fraud allegations.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday he opposed any repeat of the May 12 parliamentary election, after allegations of electoral fraud raised political temperatures.

Close to three weeks after parliamentary polls, confusion reigns in Iraq as allegations mount of election fraud even with negotiations to form a government well underway.

The Iraqi air force on Thursday carried out a "deadly raid" against positions of the Islamic State group in neighbouring Syria, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said.

Iraq�s armed forces have instructions to prevent �foreign fighters� from launching cross-border attacks on Turkey, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi told his Turkish counterpart, Binali Yildirim.

Airports in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq will be reopened to international air traffic on Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadia declared in a statement issued by his office.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi agreed to lift a ban on international air traffic to the Kurdistan Region on Tuesday, in a decree which said international flights could resume within one week.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a decree on Thursday formalizing the inclusion of Shi�ite paramilitary groups in the country�s security forces.

Iraq plans to hold parliamentary elections on May 15 to choose a prime minister, a statement from the prime minister�s office said late on Tuesday.

The Iraqi government plans to soon start paying the salaries of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and civil servants working for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered a 24-hour suspension to military operations against Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, to allow for the peaceful deployment of Iraqi troops at the border crossings with the Kurdistan region.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday called for a "joint administration" of Kirkuk and other areas claimed by both his government and the autonomous Kurdish region, provided that Baghdad has ultimate authority in such an arrangement.

The Iraqi government asked the autonomous Kurdish region on Sunday to hand over international border posts and its international airports, retaliating to a Kurdish independence referendum to be held on Monday in northern Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi described the Kurdistan region�s planned referendum on independence as �unconstitutional� on Tuesday, hours after parliament voted against the regional plebiscite.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir held talks in Baghdad with Iraq's leadership Saturday, the first such visit by a chief diplomat from the kingdom since 2003.

Iraqi government forces, with air and ground support from the U.S.-led coalition, launched an offensive on Monday to drive Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, the militants' last major stronghold in the country.

Iraq's Supreme Court on Monday ruled against a decision by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to scrap three vice-president positions, weakening his political standing by overruling one of his most important measures to streamline the government.