More killing, continued clashes in Iraq

Chief of staff of the joint American forces lt. gen. Richard Meyers' visit to Iraq coincided with an attack by a booby trapped car on an area close to the Green Zone in the downtown of the Iraqi capital yesterday in a second attack of its kind within 24 hours.

News were contradictory on the number of those killed. One story stated that one member of the national guard was killed and other 12 injured with many of them in critical health conditions, while another version of the story said that 7 persons were killed and others were injured.

In another development, the American army admitted the killing of two US Marines on Monday near Fallujah to the west of Baghdad, thereby the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq increased to ten during three days in al-Anbar governorate.

In a relevant matter, investigators found a new mass cemetery near al-Suleimaneh city to the north of Iraq containing 500 bodies of children and women.

In al-Musil to the north of Iraq, some 14 bodies were found. Veiled gunmen introduced themselves as "al-Jihad Base in Mesopotamia of al-Zarqawi" said that the killed persons are members of the Iraqi national guards.

Because of the intensive attacks against the American military convoys, the American air force was obliged to ship supplies by air in C-130 planes to forces stationed in dangerous areas and main highways.

At the political field, the spokesman for the higher commission of the Iraqi elections said that 70 political parties, including prominent Sunni groups that threatened to boycott the elections, proposed lists in the name of its candidates for the voting operations.

Fred Ayar explained that 9 of the elections lists were so far submitted and were registered and ratified which means that there are 79 entities at least that intend to take part, adding that there are independent lists including the list of the Islamic party which includes 275 names, the maximum permitted rate.