More Attacks and a New Prime Minister in Iraq

New Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to use "maximum force" if necessary to end the violence if necessary in Iraq. Insurgents launched a group of attacks across Iraq on Sunday. These attacks killed at least 17 people and underscoring the challenges ahead for the country's first permanent government since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The United States is pushing Iraq's leaders to appoint a government that has broad support from Iraq's factions. These include the Sunni Arabs who make up the backbone of Iraq's insurgency. "The next six months will be truly critical for Iraq, said" U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad Another issue that has risen in Iraq is whether or not the new government will split Iraq into different regions. "This will be a very, very difficult issue," said Mahdi al-Hafez, a lawmaker with the secular Iraqi National List. "There is basic disagreement on this issue among all of the represented groups."