A suicide car bomber struck in the main Shiite district of the capital Wednesday, killing at least nine people as the U.S. military said its troop buildup in Baghdad was nearly complete. Three more American troops died by bombs in the capital.
At least 85 Iraqis were killed or found dead nationwide, police reported, according to the AP. They also included eight people who lost their lives when a roadside bomb destroyed their minibus some 20 miles south of Baghdad.
The suicide attack occurred near a police station in Sadr City. Three policemen and six civilians were killed and 34 people were hurt, police said.
On Wednesday, police reported finding the bullet-riddled bodies of 55 people apparently slain by sectarian death squads. They included 30 in Baghdad and 10 in Baqouba. The other killings were reported in Mosul and communities south of the capital, police said.
Also Wednesday, two U.S. troops died and two others were injured when a bomb devastated their vehicle in southern Baghdad, the U.S. command said. Another soldier died in an explosion in western Baghdad, the command said.
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. military announced that its buildup of forces was nearly complete with the arrival this week of the fourth of five brigades ordered to Baghdad by President Bush in January. About 3,700 soldiers from the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, Washington, will be deployed in the Baghdad area and in northern Iraq, the military said.
