News

Baghdad expresses concerns over a report that the US has been spying on the Iraqi primer, saying it could put future Iraqi-US ties at risk.

In a statement released on Friday, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, said the government would raise the allegation with the US, warning that if true, it would 'cast a shadow' on cooperation with US intelligence agencies.

In his new book on the White House and the Iraq war, entitled The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008, US journalist Bob Woodward reveals the Bush administration has spied on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders.

Woodward cites concerns among US officials who question the measure for risking the Bush's efforts by the White House to earn Maliki's trust, The Washington Post reported.

The White House has declined comment on the allegation while US negotiating team is busy discussing a security deal with Iraqi officials to settle down unresolved key issues between the two sides over a long-term US presence in Iraq.

Washington is trying to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the Baghdad government, to provide legal basis for its military presence in Iraq after a UN mandate defining the status of US forces in the war-torn country expires on December 31.