A crucial parliament session kickstarting the Iraqi government's formation process has been delayed.
The development appears to highlight bickering among the country's political leaders despite calls for unity to counter a jihadist-led offensive that has overrun swathes of territory.
The swift advance has displaced hundreds of thousands, alarmed the international community and heaped pressure on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as he seeks a third term in office.
But the government formation process, which international leaders and Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric have urged be expedited, was dealt a blow on Monday when a parliament session scheduled for Tuesday was postponed.
Officials and an MP, all speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meeting was rescheduled for August 12 because MPs could not agree on a new Speaker.
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More than two months after elections in which Maliki's camp won the most seats, though not a majority, parliament has yet to begin choosing the country's top three positions, which according to an unofficial deal are split between the Shi'ite Arab, Sunni Arab and Kurdish communities.
A session last week ended in chaos, with MPs trading heckles and threats before some eventually walked out, forcing an adjournment. The UN's special envoy warned that further delays risked plunging the country into "Syria-like chaos".
Despite previously saying he would not seek a third term, Maliki vowed last week he would not bow to mounting international and domestic pressure to step aside and allow a broader consensus.
Iraqi forces have largely regrouped after the debacle that saw soldiers abandon positions as militants led by Islamic State (IS) jihadists conquered second city Mosul and advanced to within 80 km of Baghdad.
But while Iraq has received equipment, intelligence and help on the ground from the United States, Russia, Iran and even Shi'ite militias it once shunned, government efforts to battle the militant offensive were dealt a blow when a senior general was killed on Monday.
Major General Najm Abdullah al-Sudani, commander of the army's 6th division, was killed by "hostile shelling" in Ibrahim bin Ali, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta said.
Ibrahim bin Ali is in the Abu Ghraib area, just west of Baghdad, near where security forces have been locked in a months-long stand-off with militants who have seized the city of Fallujah.
Security forces have for more than a week also tried to retake the Sunni stronghold of Tikrit from a loose alliance of IS fighters, other jihadist groups and former Saddam Hussein loyalists, but have so far failed.
