BAGHDAD (Dispatches) -- Iraq’s political blocs reached a preliminary agreement on Sunday to reactivate two vacant vice-presidential posts, proposing Muhammad al-Halbousi and Falih al-Fayyadh for the positions, while a drone attack struck the outskirts of Erbil and a day-old ammunition blast at a paramilitary base remained under investigation.
The vice-presidency deal, reported by Shafaq News citing an informed source, emerged from talks within the State Administration Coalition and would grant the two officials only basic salaries without additional allocations. 
The positions have been vacant since former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi abolished them in 2015, though the Federal Supreme Court later ruled that decision unconstitutional. The arrangement remains subject to formal approval.
Sunday’s political maneuvering follows Thursday’s parliamentary session in which Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government finally filled 11 ministerial portfolios, including the key interior and defense ministries, ending nearly five months of governance by caretaker officials. 
The cabinet was initially approved in May with only 14 of 23 ministers confirmed, leaving nine posts hanging amid disputes over sovereign portfolios and external pressures.
In the north, an explosion was reported on the outskirts of Erbil in the Kurdistan region on Sunday, with reports indicating a drone attack targeting the headquarters of anti-Iran separatist groups in Wadi Alane.  
The blast followed a Saturday explosion at a Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) facility east of Baghdad’s Army Canal, where a stockpile of damaged ammunition detonated, injuring five PMF members with minor wounds. 
Preliminary investigations indicated the blast resulted from internal malfunction, with no signs of external attack, according to the PMF. Prime Minister al-Zaidi ordered an investigation and instructed authorities to strengthen safety measures to prevent similar incidents.
In Kirkuk, a leadership vacuum persisted after former Governor Muhammad Samaan Agha was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, with First Deputy Governor Rebwar Taha serving as acting governor until political blocs agree on a successor. 
Taha told reporters that daily affairs must continue and described the situation as unsustainable, calling for genuine partnership in administering the province.
Separately, the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Faiq Zidan, met with Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim on Sunday to discuss mechanisms for consolidating the rule of law and strengthening state institutions.