At least 16 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed in Iraq on Thursday. A U.S. military statement said the dead included eight people who were shot when attackers raided the house of Iraqi lawmaker Fawaz al-Jarba in the northern city of Mosul. Mr. al-Jarba was not hurt.
Meanwhile, a Syrian diplomat in Washington has denied a U.S. report that insurgent leaders in Iraq, loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, met last month in Syria.
On Wednesday, an American military official linked the alleged meeting to a recent wave of violence that has killed more than 400 people in Iraq this month.
Also in Iraq Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi visited Iraq's highest Shi'ite authority -- Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani -- at his home in Najaf. There were no details of the meeting.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
