BAGHDAD, May 15 (UPI) -- Forces loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr laid down their weapons Thursday as reports emerged from Iraq of relative calm in the Baghdad district of Sadr City.

BAGHDAD, May 15 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad said emerging evidence suggests Iran is backing the so-called special groups targeting coalition and Iraqi forces.

BAGHDAD, May 15 (UPI) -- The Sadrist Movement emerged as an influential force in the post-Saddam era in Iraq, but its potency may be in decline, analysts say.

BAQUBA, Iraq, May 15 (UPI) -- Farmers in Iraqs eastern Diyala province say the prospect of a drought in the Kurdish region and a lack of irrigation are hurting their economic outlook.

MOSUL, Iraq, May 15 (UPI) -- Local reports from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul describe the area as a veritable ghost town as Iraqi forces target al-Qaida operatives there.

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, May 15 (UPI) -- British defense officials say that Royal Irish soldiers have taken over security at Camp Bastion in Afghanistans volatile Helmand province.

KIRKUK, Iraq, May 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. military in Iraq has deployed canine units capable of sniffing out explosives threats and taking out militant operatives.

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (UPI) -- The U.N.-African Union mission in the Darfur region of Sudan is warning that escalating violence is leading to a rapidly deteriorating security situation.

BRUSSELS, May 15 (UPI) -- Defense officials concluded a meeting at NATO headquarters Thursday after gathering to discuss the decisions made at the recent summit in Bucharest, Romania.

BASRA, Iraq, May 15 (UPI) -- A recent operation by British troops in southern Iraq resulted in the destruction of more than six tons of unexploded ordnance.