President Bush has ordered a suspension of U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq after July and shortened tours for incoming troops.

In congressional testimony this week, the top U.S. military and civilian officials in Iraq reported what they called "real" but "fragile" progress, and urged caution in any discussion of further U.S. troop withdrawals, beyond the end of the surge in July.

In a second consecutive day of testimony at the U.S. Congress, the top American commander in Iraq and the U.S. ambassador reported progress on key security and political issues, but warned that the progress is fragile and maintaining it requires a continuing American commitment.

U.S. officials say a new U.S. intelligence report on Iraq shows that conditions there are improving and that progress is being made toward healing political rifts.

Millions of pilgrims are streaming into the Iraqi city of Karbala ahead of one of the holiest religious ceremonies on the Shi'ite Muslim calendar -Arbaeen.

The Iraqi government has demanded the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops, saying the five-day incursion is threatening their otherwise friendly relations. Daniel Schearf reports from the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.

Tehran is ready to propose new measures to settle the situation in Iraq at an upcoming international conference on Iraq due 2-3 November, Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday.

As the United States makes progress in talks with Sunni and Shi'ite tribal leaders toward ending the armed conflict in Iraq, Iraqi politicians who form the core of the opposition are facing defections from cabinet members who would rather return to work than support their boycott of the government.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says his country's security forces need more time before they are ready to take over responsibility for security operations from multinational troops.

The U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, and Washington's top military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, are due today to start two days of key testimony to the U.S. Congress about the situation in Iraq. RFE/RL spoke with two analysts, Anthony Cordesman and Michael O'Hanlon, who have conducted their own studies of the effect of the surge.

The United States has rejected an Iranian suggestion to hold higher-level talks on the security situation in Iraq. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he does not see talks between the U.S. and Iran at the level of deputy foreign minister at this time. McCormack said the two sides have already established a diplomatic channel between their ambassadors in Iraq.

Envoys from the United States and Iran are holding a second round of talks on the security situation in Iraq, in a rare meeting between the two sides.