Iraqis back new Constitution

Iraqi voters ratified a new US-backed Constitution despite bitter opposition in Sunni Arab areas where insurgents are battling to topple the Baghdad government, results showed yesterday. Iraq's Electoral Commission, giving final results from the...

Iraqi voters ratified a new US-backed Constitution despite bitter opposition in Sunni Arab areas where insurgents are battling to topple the Baghdad government, results showed yesterday.

Iraq's Electoral Commission, giving final results from the October 15 referendum, said 79 per cent of voters backed the Constitution against 21 per cent opposed in a poll split largely along Iraq's sectarian and ethnic lines.

The results came as the US military death toll in Iraq rose to 2,000. The milestone is expected to spur new calls for US President George W. Bush to outline an exit strategy for the Iraqi conflict.

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