US, Iran Meet in Baghdad Monday on Iraq's Security

The United States and Iran are about to begin a rare high-level meeting - talks in Baghdad Monday on the security situation in Iraq.

US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker

The meeting, at an undisclosed location in the Iraqi capital, will bring together the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Kazemi.

The White House says the talks will not touch on the international standoff with Iran over its nuclear development program, or discuss Iran's detention of U.S. citizens.

On the question of Iraqi security, the United States says Iran has been training, supplying and financing extremist groups operating in Iraq. U.S. military commanders have displayed captured Iranian-made military hardware to support those charges, but authorities in Tehran deny they are responsible for insurgents' attacks in Iraq.

The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after young activists stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979. Fiftytwo U.S. diplomats held hostage for more than a year were eventually released in January 1981, but the two nations have had few contacts since then.

In Iraq Sunday, the U.S. military said troops rescued 41 Iraqis from an al-Qaida prison camp north of Baghdad.

Military officials say some of the freed captives showed signs of torture and mistreatment.

American authorities also announced the deaths of two more U.S. soldiers, killed in separate attacks on Saturday. More than 100 American troops have been killed in Iraq during May, one of the deadliest months for U.S. forces since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.