Iraqi President Returns Home From Germany

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani at a rehabilitation facility in Berlin last December.

President Jalal Talabani has returned to Iraq after more than 18 months in Germany where he was receiving medical treatment for a stroke he suffered in December 2012.

Local TV said the 80-year-old head of state arrived on July 19 in his home town of Suleimaniya in northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region.

His return comes amid a deep crisis and sectarian divisions in Iraq.

Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said the Kurdish political leader had undergone "successful health treatment" in Germany, but many have expressed doubts about his fitness to resume an active role in politics.

Talabani is wrapping up his second consecutive term as president, and is not eligible to run again.

Iraq's parliament is expected to meet next week to discuss possible candidates to succeed him.

Under an informal arrangement, Iraq's president is chosen from the country's Kurdish minority.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP