Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has been hospitalized after having a stroke.

Mr. Talabani's office said in a statement he was taken to a hospital late Monday because of a “health emergency,” but did not give additional details about his condition.

The president has dealt with several health problems in recent years. In 2008, he underwent heart surgery in the United States. He made a 2007 visit to a U.S. clinic for weight loss treatment, and the same year spent more than two weeks in Jordan receiving treatment for exhaustion and dehydration.

The president's role in Iraq is largely ceremonial, but Mr. Talabani, an ethnic Kurd, has used his position to mediate disputes among the country's various sects.