An Iraqi Army soldier patrols the northern part of Kirkuk Province, July 2, 2011, alongside U.S. soldiers. Iraq's political leaders are struggling with whether to ask the United States to keep some troops in Iraq after Dec. 31, when a status of forces agreement dictates that they be gone. But with time running out and the decision caught in a logjam of competing Iraqi interests, U.S. and Iraqi officials say that nowhere is there a stronger argument for keeping some U.S. forces than in Kirkuk.

The U.S. government is proceeding with the sale of nearly $11 billion worth of weapons and training for the Iraqi military despite concerns that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is seeking to create a Shiite-dominated state and break ties with the current, American-backed government, according to a New York Times report.

The arms, including fighter jets and battle tanks, are meant to help the Iraqi government rebuild its military and defend its borders, the Times reported.

U.S. diplomats have expressed concern that Maliki could set off a civil war with his efforts to marginalize the Sunni minority, the report said.

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is running the military aid program, serving as a broker between the Iraqi government and various defense contractors, according to the report.

Read the New York Times report.