Insurgents in Iraq have intensified their attacks, as U.S. and Iraqi forces prepare for an expected military offensive to crush the militants before January's general election.
The U.S. military says its warplanes successfully bombed the southeastern part of Fallujah today (Wednesday), hitting several munitions sites.
In Baghdad, insurgents killed a senior oil ministry official and attacked an airport checkpoint, causing some civilian casualties. And an American soldier was killed and another wounded in a bomb attack south of Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police are investigating the identities of three, apparently Iraqi, bodies found in the Tigris River. Earlier today, al-Jazeera television aired part of a video in which militants said they beheaded three Iraqi National Guardsmen they accused of spying for U.S. forces. It was not immediately clear if the the two incidents are related.
Information for thie report is provided by AP and Reuters.