1 Widow Rosali Rodon, right, is consoled by her sister as members of a U.S. Armed Forces Honor Guard fold a U.S. flag over the coffin of Sgt. Jason Lopez Reyes at the burial ceremony in his hometown of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Lopez died of wounds sustained Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 47 Puerto Rican soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since 2001. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) 2 Widow Rosali Rodon, left, cries as she is presented with a box containing an American flag and the honor medals of her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Lopez Reyes, at his burial ceremony in his hometown of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Lopez died of wounds sustained Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 47 Puerto Rican soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since 2001. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) 3 Relatives of U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Lopez Reyes cry at his burial ceremony in his hometown of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Lopez died of wounds sustained Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 47 Puerto Rican soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since 2001. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) 4 An unidentified relative of U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Lopez Reyes cries at his burial ceremony in his hometown of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Lopez died of wounds sustained Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 47 Puerto Rican soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since 2001. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) 5 Two-year-old Jayrill Lopez, wearing homemade fatigues, looks at the coffin of his father, U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Lopez Reyes, while standing by his grandmother Gladys Reyes, who sobs softly wearing a T-shirt that reads: 'Jason, hero of my heart', during Lopez's burial in Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Lopez died of wounds sustained Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 47 Puerto Rican soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since 2001. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) 6 Members of a U.S. Armed Forces Honor Guard carry the coffin containing Sgt. Jason Lopez Reyes at the burial ceremony in his hometown of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Lopez died of wounds sustained Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 47 Puerto Rican soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since 2001. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) 7 Childhood friends of U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Lopez Reyes watch, beside a Puerto Rican flag, their friend's burial ceremony in his hometown of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Lopez died of wounds sustained Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 47 Puerto Rican soldiers have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since 2001. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) 8 ATTENTION EDITORS - CAPTION CORRECTION CORRECTING DATE Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari (L) shakes hands with Lieutenant-General John Vines, chief of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, after Vine received a gift of a silver palm tree at Jaafari's office in the secure 'green zone' area of Baghdad January 18, 2006. Vines, the number-two general in the U.S. command, will be transferring command to Army Lieutenant-General Peter Chiarellias as he ends a year-long stint as the U.S. operational commander this week, as part of the normal rotation of senior U.S. commanders. REUTERS/Khalid Mohammed/POOL 9 ATTENTION EDITORS - CAPTION CORRECTION CORRECTING DATE Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari (L) presents a gift of a silver palm tree to Lieutenant-General John Vines (R), chief of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, at Jaafari's office in the secure 'green zone' area of Baghdad January 18, 2006. Vines, the number-two general in the U.S. command, will be transferring command to Army Lieutenant-General Peter Chiarellias as he ends a year-long stint as the U.S. operational commander this week, as part of the normal rotation of senior U.S. commanders. REUTERS/Khalid Mohammed/Pool 10 ATTENTION EDITORS - CAPTION CORRECTION CORRECTING DATE Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari (L) meets with Lieutenant-General John Vines, chief of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, at Jaafari's office in the secure 'green zone' area of Baghdad January 18, 2006. Vines, the number-two general in the U.S. command, will be transferring command to Army Lieutenant-General Peter Chiarellias as he ends a year-long stint as the U.S. operational commander this week, as part of the normal rotation of senior U.S. commanders. REUTERS/Khalid Mohammed/Pool 11 David Cook, Washington bureau chief for the Christian Science Monitor meets reporters outside his paper's offices in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006 to discuss kidnapped Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll. Carroll, 28, a freelance writer for the Christian Science Monitor, was kidnapped Jan. 7 in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) 12 This 05 September 2005 photo shows Christian Science Monitor freelance writer Jill Carroll. Concern grew over the fate of Carroll, a US journalist abducted in Iraq, after her captors threatened to kill her unless the United States freed all female prisoners in Iraq within 72 hours.(AFP/HO/File/Delphine Minoui) 13 Concern grew over the fate of Jill Carroll, a US journalist freelancing for The Christian Science Monitor abducted in Iraq, after her captors threatened to kill her unless the United States freed all female prisoners in Iraq within 72 hours.(CSM) 14 This photo provided by the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, shows staff member Rich Finley demonstrating the BomBot in November 2005, at the Foundation's facilities in Fairmont, W.Va. The U.S. Navy will pay Innovative Responses Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the WVHTCF, $9.6 million to build the remote-controlled robots that can disable and destroy roadside bombs--a daily threat to troops in Iraq--cheaper than the ones now in use. The BomBot can be deployed quickly, without exposing its operator to danger, and was originally developed at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. (AP Photo/West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation) 15 An Iraqi youth looks at a destroyed vehicle after a car bombing in Baghdad, January 18, 2006. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 16 Iraqis gather at the site of a car bomb explosion in Baghdad. Ten Iraqi bodyguards and drivers were killed and two foreign telephone engineers were feared kidnapped, after gunmen ambushed a convoy in a Baghdad road tunnel.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye) 17 Iraqi policemen look at a car after it exploded in Baghdad. Ten Iraqi bodyguards and drivers were killed and two foreign telephone engineers were feared kidnapped, after gunmen ambushed a convoy in a Baghdad road tunnel.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye) 18 This 05 September 2005 photo shows Christian Science Monitor freelance writer Jill Carroll. Arabic television Al-Jazeera said the kidnappers of Carroll, abducted 10 days ago in Baghdad, had threatened to kill her if female prisoners in Iraq were not freed within 72 hours.(AFP/HO/File/Delphine Minoui) 19 Iraqi men mourn outside a hospital the death of a relative killed in an ambush in Baghdad. Ten Iraqi bodyguards and drivers were killed and two foreign telephone engineers were feared kidnapped, after gunmen ambushed a convoy in a Baghdad road tunnel.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye) 20 A British convoy passes by the site of an attack north of the southern city of Basra. A roadside bomb targeting a convoy killed one person and wounded two, according to local police. The British military spokesman in Basra confirmed that the convoy was not from the multi-national forces, but could not shed any further light on the identity of the five vehicle convoy.(AFP) 21 Hostage American reporter Jill Carroll appears in a silent 20-second video aired Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006 by Al-Jazeera television, which said her abductors gave the United States 72 hours to free female prisoners in Iraq or she would be killed. Al-Jazeera would not tell The Associated Press how it received the tape, but the station issued its own statement calling for Carroll's release. An Al-Jazeera producer said no militant group's name was attached to the message that was sent to the station with the silent tape on Tuesday. However, a still photograph of Carroll from the videotape that later appeared on the Al-Jazeera Web site carried a logo in the bottom right corner that read 'The Revenge Brigade.' The group was not known from previous claims of responsibility of violence in Iraq. (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera) ** THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAS NO WAY OF INDEPENDENTLY VERIFYING THE CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS VIDEO ** 22 Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi looks at mounted Carabinieri officers during the academic year opening ceremony of the Italian Carabinieri (paramilitary policemen) cadets school, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Italy remains on track to gradually withdraw its troops from Iraq, and expects to have halved its contingent May, the country's defense minister was quoted as saying by an Italian magazine Wednesday. Italy has been pulling out its soldiers in batches of 300 troops. Troop levels are now at 2,600, compared to 3,200 last summer, said Defense Minister Antonio Martino. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca) 23 A roadside bomb killed two U.S. private security contractors and seriously wounded a third in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy said. REUTERS/Graphic 24 Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, foreground right, Defense Minister Antonio Martino, followed by Italian Carabinieri General Luciano Gottardo, background left, and Chief of staff Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola review the honor guard during the academic year opening ceremony of the Italian Carabinieri (paramilitary policemen) cadets school, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Italy remains on track to gradually withdraw its troops from Iraq, and expects to have halved its contingent May, the country's defense minister was quoted as saying by an Italian magazine Wednesday. Italy has been pulling out its soldiers in batches of 300 troops. Troop levels are now at 2,600, compared to 3,200 last summer, said Defense Minister Antonio Martino. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca) 25 Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, right, and Defense Minister Antonio Martino look on during the academic year opening ceremony of the Italian Carabinieri (paramilitary policemen) cadets school, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. Italy remains on track to gradually withdraw its troops from Iraq, and expects to have halved its contingent May, the country's defense minister was quoted as saying by an Italian magazine Wednesday. Italy has been pulling out its soldiers in batches of 300 troops. Troop levels are now at 2,600, compared to 3,200 last summer, said Defense Minister Antonio Martino. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca) 26 British troops secure the scene of a roadside attack on a private security convoy, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, outside of the southern city of Basra, Iraq. A roadside bomb blast struck a private security team convoy northwest of Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, killing at least two people whose nationalities were unknown. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurjani) 27 A British soldier scans the landscape through his gun sight as he secures the scene of a roadside attack, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, outside of the southern city of Basra, Iraq. A roadside bomb blast struck a private security team convoy northwest of Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, killing at least two people whose nationalities were unknown. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurjani) 28 A 2005 handout photo shows Christian Science Monitor freelance writer Jill Carroll helping to prepare traditional food at the home of Iraqi friends. Carroll was abducted by unknown gunmen in Baghdad on January 7, 2006 and her Iraqi interpreter Allan Enwiyah was killed during the kidnapping. U.S. forces in Iraq said on January 18 they were holding eight women prisoners, after the abductors of Carroll threatened to kill her if the authorities did not free all Iraqi women within 72 hours. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/The Carroll Family/Handout 29 A undated handout photo shows Christian Science Monitor freelance writer Jill Carroll. Carroll was abducted by unknown gunmen in Baghdad on January 7, 2006 and her Iraqi interpreter Allan Enwiyah was killed during the kidnapping. U.S. forces in Iraq said on January 18 they were holding eight women prisoners, after the abductors of Carroll threatened to kill her if the authorities did not free all Iraqi women within 72 hours. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/The Carroll Family/Handout 30 President Bush talks with a group of current and former Iraqi citizens at the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006 in Washington. At left is Raid Mohammad looking at Bush. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) 31 President Bush, right, meets with a group of current and former Iraqi citizens at the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2005 in Washington. From left are Salem Kurdee, Raid Mohammad, and Bush. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) 32 An Iraqi policeman stands next to unexploded artillery shells after a car bombing in Baghdad, January 18, 2006. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 33 Map locates site of ambush in Baghdad, which killed at least 11 people. (AP Graphic) 34 US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, left, shakes the hand of a US military engineer, no name available, during his visit to the Karada district of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. (AP Photo/Akram Saleh, Pool) 35 Iraqi journalists receive medical treatment at a hospital after they were injured while covering a clash between insurgents and private security men on a busy Baghdad street January 18, 2006. Gunmen killed at least nine Iraqis and kidnapped a Malawian engineer in an elaborate ambush on a private security convoy in a busy Baghdad street, officials and witnesses said. It was the second major insurgent attack in the capital in two days. Late on Tuesday, gunmen killed seven Iraqis involved in supplying food to the Iraqi army. REUTERS/Mahmoud Rahouf Mahmoud 36 Zalmay Khalilzad (L), the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, shakes hands with a U.S. military engineer during a visit to a local council at the Karada district in Baghdad January 18, 2006. Khalilzad visited a local council at the Karada district in Baghdad following an invitation by Muhammad al-Rubaee, the head of the local council. REUTERS/Akram Saleh/Pool 37 Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, left, presents a silver palm tree gift to Lt. Gen. John Vines, right, chief of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, at his office in the secure 'green zone' area of Baghdad, Iraq. Lt. Gen. Vines, the No. 2 general in the U.S. command, will be transferring command to Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarellias as he ends a year-long stint as the U.S. operational commander this week in the normal rotation of senior U.S. commanders. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) 38 Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, left, shakes hands with Lt. Gen. John Vines, chief of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, at his office in the secure 'green zone' area of Baghdad, Iraq. Lt. Gen. Vines, the No. 2 general in the U.S. command, will be transferring command to Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarellias as he ends a year-long stint as the U.S. operational commander this week in the normal rotation of senior U.S. commanders in the war. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) 39 Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, left, meets with Lt. Gen. John Vines, right, chief of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, at his office in the secure 'green zone' area of Baghdad, Iraq. Lt. Gen. Vines, the No. 2 general in the U.S. command, will be transferring command to Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarellias as he ends a year-long stint as the U.S. operational commander this week in the normal rotation of senior U.S. commanders. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) 40 Iraqi children look at the wreckage of a car used as car bomb in al-Adhamiya district in Baghdad January 18, 2006. The car bomb was detonated near a passing police convoy where two civilians were killed, police said. REUTERS/Kareem Raheem 41 Iraqi children play at the wreckage of a car used as a car bomb in al-Adhamiya district in Baghdad January 18, 2006. The car bomb was detonated near a passing police convoy where two civilians were killed, police said. REUTERS/Kareem Raheem 42 A man supports a victim who was wounded in a convoy ambush while he receives treatment at the Yarmouk Hospital, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. A security convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles was attacked in Baghdad's Jami'a district, sparking a fierce gun battle between heavily armed insurgents and security personnel. Police said gunmen killed at least 10 security personnel and seized an engineer from Malawi in the ambush. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 43 Iraqi police inspect the wreckage of a suicide bomb near the home of a prominent Shiite political leader, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. A suicide car bomb attack, targeting a police patrol near the southern Baghdad home of prominent Shiite politician Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, left two policemen dead and five wounded. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 44 Iraqi soldiers inspect the wreckage of a suicide bomb near the home of a prominent Shiite political leader, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. A suicide car bomb attack, targeting a police patrol near the southern Baghdad home of prominent Shiite politician Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, left two policemen dead and five wounded. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 45 An Iraqi youth looks at a destroyed vehicle after a car bombing in Baghdad January 18, 2006. A car parked on the side of the road exploded in Baghdad's Karrada district on Wednesday morning, but the target of the attack could not be determined, police said. Local residents said at least two civilians were slightly wounded in the explosion. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 46 A relative grieves at the Yarmouk Hospital over a victim killed in a convoy ambush, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. A security convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles was attacked in Baghdad's Jami'a district, sparking a fierce gun battle between heavily armed insurgents and security personnel. Police said gunmen killed at least 10 security personnel and seized an engineer from Malawi in the ambush. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 47 A victim of an ambushed convoy receive emergency medical care at the Yarmouk Hospital, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. A security convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles was attacked in Baghdad's Jami'a district, sparking a fierce gun battle between heavily armed insurgents and security personnel. Police said gunmen killed at least 10 security personnel and seized an engineer from Malawi in the ambush. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 48 Iraqi soldiers conduct security checks on residents in Najaf, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad January 18, 2006. Security intensified in the city a day before the annual Shi'ite Eid al Ghadeer celebration. People visit the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf during this Shi'ite Muslim religious festival. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish 49 A victim of an ambushed convoy receives emergency medical care at the Yarmouk Hospital, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. A security convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles was attacked in Baghdad's Jami'a district, sparking a fierce gun battle between heavily armed insurgents and security personnel. Police said gunmen killed at least 10 security personnel and seized an engineer from Malawi in the ambush. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 50 A Feburary 6, 2005 file photo of an Iraqi woman walks past the headquarters of the Egyptian based mobile phone company Iraqna in central Baghdad. Gunmen ambushed a private security team in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing 10 Iraqi guards and kidnapping a Malawian engineer working for the Iraqna mobile telephone operator, an Interior Ministry official said. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber 51 An Iraqi Coastguard boat patrols the Shatt al-Arab river near the southern city of Basra, about 341 miles south of Baghdad January 17, 2006. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 52 Estelita Maravillosa mother of U.S. Army Sgt. Myla Maravillosa, holds a picture of her daughter besides her U.S. flag-drapped coffin in her hometown Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006 in Ibanga, in the province of Bohol in central Philippines. Maravillosa died in an attack by insurgents on Christmas eve in Iraq. (AP Photo/Pat Roque) 53 Estelita Maravillosa, 3rd from left, mother of U.S. Army Sgt. Myla Maravillosa, together with her relatives view her remains in a U.S. flag-drapped coffin Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006 in Ibanga, in the province of Bohol in central Philippines. Maravillosa died in an attack by insurgents on Christmas eve in Iraq. (AP Photo/Pat Roque) 54 An Iraqi coastguard boat patrols the Shatt al-Arab river near the southern city of Basra, about 500 kms south of Baghdad. Nine Iraqi border guards have been detained by Iranian forces after a clash on the southern river frontier with Iran in which one guard was wounded, a senior Iraqi official said.(AFP) 55 Iraqi men gather around blood stains in front of the offices of the anti-corruption department following an attack in Kirkuk, 255 kms north of Baghdad. Violence across the country left at least 12 Iraqis dead.(AFP/Marwan Ibrahim) 56 Iraqi men hold pieces of bones, believed to be from human remains, in Haidariya area, between the southern cities of Najaf and Karbala. The bones are believed to have been found in what was a mass grave of Shiite Muslims executed in 1991 during the dictatorship of ousted president Saddam Hussein. The remains were found by workers repairing underground water piping.(AFP/Qassem Zein) 57 An Iraqi policeman stands guard at the site of a car bomb explosion in the Saidiya neighborhood of southern Baghdad. Violence across the country left at least 12 Iraqis dead.(AFP/Ali al-Saadi) 58 Freelance writer Jill Carroll is shown in this Sept. 5, 2005, file photo provided by the Christian Science Monitor. An Arab television channel aired a silent 20-second videotape Tuesday Jan. 17, 2006 of Carroll, who has been held hostage in Iraq since Jan. 7, and said an accompanying message gave the United States 72 hours to free female prisoners in Iraq or the journalist would be killed. (AP Photo/Christian Science Monitor, Delphine Minoui) 59 Freelance writer of The Christian Science Monitor, Jill Carroll, is seen in this September 5, 2005 handout photo taken in an unknown location. Carrol's abductors of have threatened to kill her if the United States does not free Iraqi women prisoners within 72 hours, Al Jazeera television said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Delphine Minoui/Handout 60 An Iraqi man shows his wounded arm at a hospital following a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad. Violence across the country left at least 12 Iraqis dead.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye) 61 An Iraqi man holds a piece of bone believed to be human remains at a dig site, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Kifil, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Najaf, Iraq. The remains of 22 bodies were found Tuesday in a mass grave south of this city dating back apparently to the 1991 Shiite uprising against Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces, police said. The graves were found by laborers using a bulldozer to excavate earth near a water pipeline.(AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani) 62 Iraqi coastguard inspect their new patrol boats during their graduation ceremony in the southern city of Basra, September 30, 2004. The Iraqi government said on Tuesday nine Iraqi coastguards were taken prisoner by Iran after an incident involving a suspected oil smuggling ship in the Gulf. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 63 An Iraqi Coastguard boat patrols the Shatt al-Arab river near the southern city of Basra, about 550 kilometres (341 miles) south of Baghdad January 17, 2006. The Shatt al-Arab river is along the route to the Iranian border. Iraq demanded on Tuesday the release of coastguards it said were seized by Iran during a clash involving suspected oil smugglers on their tidal frontier, but Iran's Baghdad embassy denied all knowledge of the incident. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 64 An Iraqi coast guard boat patrols the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab river, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, near the southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (341 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. An Iraqi sailor was killed and nine were captured by an Iranian Navy vessel during a skirmish in the Gulf near Basra, an Iraqi official said Tuesday. Basra Gov. Mohammed al-Waeli told The Associated Press that the clash happened Saturday after an Iraqi Navy ship spotted a suspicious merchant vessel flying an Iraqi flag that was carrying smuggled Iraqi diesel. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) 65 Iraqi Navy's Lt. Col. Ziyad Majid, commander of Shatt al-Arab coast guard, gives a press conference on the weekend's skirmish with the Iranian Navy, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in the southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (341 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. An Iraqi sailor was killed and nine were captured by an Iranian Navy vessel during a skirmish in the Gulf near Basra, an Iraqi official said Tuesday. Basra Gov. Mohammed al-Waeli told The Associated Press that the clash happened Saturday after an Iraqi Navy ship spotted a suspicious merchant vessel flying an Iraqi flag that was carrying smuggled Iraqi diesel. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) 66 An Iraqi coast guard inspects boats flying both Iraqi and Iranian flags at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab river, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, near the southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (341 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. An Iraqi sailor was killed and nine were captured by an Iranian Navy vessel during a skirmish in the Gulf near Basra, an Iraqi official said Tuesday. Basra Gov. Mohammed al-Waeli told The Associated Press that the clash happened Saturday after an Iraqi Navy ship spotted a suspicious merchant vessel flying an Iraqi flag that was carrying smuggled Iraqi diesel. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) 67 As an Iraqi policeman investgates, neighborhood residents gather to view the wreckage from a roadside bomb, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Targeting a passing Iraqi police patrol, a roadside bomb detonated from a parked vehicle wounded two civilians. (AP Photo/Mohammed Uraibi) 68 Neighborhood residents gather to view the wreckage from a roadside bomb, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Targeting a passing Iraqi police patrol, a roadside bomb detonated from a parked vehicle wounded two civilians. (AP Photo/Mohammed Uraibi) 69 Neighborhood residents gather to view the wreckage from a roadside bomb and an unexploded artillery shell, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Targeting a passing Iraqi police patrol, a roadside bomb detonated from a parked vehicle wounded two civilians. (AP Photo/Mohammed Uraibi) 70 A Japanese soldier is seen gesturing near Iraqi villagers in Samawa, about 270km (168 miles) south of Baghdad January 17, 2006. Hundreds of Japanese troops are in Samawa conducting humanitarian missions. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen 71 A Japanese soldier stands on guard near an Iraqi national flag in Samawa, 270km (168 miles) south of Baghdad January 17, 2006. Hundreds of Japanese troops are in Samawa conducting humanitarian missions. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen 72 Security guards stand next to a pool of blood from victims of the morning attack on the Iraqi Integrity Commission, Tuesday Jan. 17, 2006, in the northern city of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. Four masked gunmen are believed to be behind the morning attacks on the regional headquarters of Iraq's anti-corruption Integrity Commission and the nearby offices of the Kurdistan Peoples Party, killing two people and wounding three. (AP Photo/Yahya Ahmed) 73 A victim of the morning attack on the Iraqi Integrity Commission is treated at the main hospital in the northern city of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq Tuesday Jan. 17, 2006. Four masked gunmen are believed to be behind the morning attacks on the regional headquarters of Iraq's anti-corruption Integrity Commission and the nearby offices of the Kurdistan Peoples Party, killing two people and wounding three. (AP Photo/Yahya Ahmed) 74 Victims in the morning attack on the Iraqi Integrity Commission are treated at the main hospital, Jan. 17, 2006, in the northern city of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. Four masked gunmen are believed to be behind the morning attacks on the regional headquarters of Iraq's anti-corruption Integrity Commission and the nearby offices of the Kurdistan Peoples Party, killing two people and wounding three. (AP Photo/Yahya Ahmed) 75 Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif (R) shakes hands with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney at Cairo airport January 17, 2006. Cheney met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and discussed the latest development on the Middle East including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraqi problem. REUTERS/Mona Sharaf 76 Iraqi border police look towards the Shalamche border crossing between Basra in southern Iraq and the Muhamara in Iran, in February 2005. Nine Iraqi border guards have been detained by Iranian forces after a clash on the southern river frontier with Iran in which one guard was wounded.(AFP/File/Essam Al Sudani) 77 Local shop owners inspect damage from a roadside bomb in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Three local Iraqis were injured when a roadside bomb detonated in a main street of central Baghdad. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 78 Iraqi soldiers inspect damage from a roadside bomb in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Three local Iraqis were injured when a roadside bomb detonated in a main street of central Baghdad. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 79 Iraqi soldiers secure the scene surrounding a roadside bomb in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Three local Iraqis were injured when a roadside bomb detonated in a main street of central Baghdad. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 80 A school girl walks past the blood and damage from a roadside bomb in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Three local Iraqis were injured when a roadside bomb detonated in a main street of central Baghdad. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 81 A young girl walks with a woman past blood and glass as Iraqi soldiers inspect damage from a roadside bomb Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Three local Iraqis were injured when a roadside bomb detonated in a main street of central Baghdad. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 82 An Iraqi man walks past blood and glass and a shoe following a roadside bomb in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Three local Iraqis were injured when a roadside bomb detonated in a main street of central Baghdad. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 83 Australian Prime Minister John Howard speaks during a joint press conference with US President George W. Bush earlier this year. The Australian government's own role in the alleged payment of huge bribes to Saddam Hussein's Iraq by national wheat exporter AWB is under scrutiny.(AFP/file/Mandel Ngan) 84 Chairman of the Independent Inquiry Committee into the UN Oil-for-Food Programme Paul Volcker speaks at a news conference in New York, in October 2005. The Australian government's own role in the alleged payment of huge bribes to Saddam Hussein's Iraq by national wheat exporter AWB is under scrutiny.(AFP/File/Don Emmert) 85 Iraqi soldiers look at a road damaged after a roadside bomb attack in central Baghdad January 17, 2006. Eight civilians were injured in the latest bomb attack in the Iraqi capital, police said. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 86 An Iraqi soldier inspects cars with shattered windshields and windows after a roadside bomb attack in central Baghdad January 17, 2006. Eight civilians were injured in the latest bomb attack in the Iraqi capital, police said. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 87 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) meets with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Cairo January 17, 2006. Both men discussed the latest development on the Middle East including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraqi problem. REUTERS/Mona Sharaf 88 Philippine troops stand in front of the American flag during opening ceremonies for the 30-day counter-terror military exercise with U.S. soldiers in Carmen, the heartland of the largest Muslim rebel group, in north Cotabato, Philippines January 17, 2006. About 30 U.S. army special forces from Washington, most of them veterans in battling militants in Afghanistan and Iraq, are helping train Philippine soldiers in small-unit tactics, marksmanship and combat lifesaving techniques as part of Washington's anti-terror programme. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco 89 Philippine Brigadier-General Napoleon Malana (R), deputy division commander in Cotabato on Mindanao island, shakes hands with Major William Nagel, commander of U.S. soldiers during opening ceremonies for the 30-day counter-terror military exercise in Carmen, the heartland of the largest Muslim rebel group, in north Cotabato, Philippines January 17, 2006. About 30 U.S. army special forces from Washington, most of them veterans in battling militants in Afghanistan and Iraq, helped train Philippine soldiers in small-unit tactics, marksmanship and combat lifesaving techniques as part of Washington's anti-terror programme. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco 90 U.S. soldiers salute as the 'Star Spangled Banner' is played by a Philippine army band during opening ceremonies for the 30-day counter-terror military exercise in Carmen, the heartland of the largest Muslim rebel group, in north Cotabato, Philippines January 17, 2006. About 30 U.S. army special forces from Washington, most of them veterans in battling militants in Afghanistan and Iraq, helped train Philippine soldiers in small-unit tactics, marksmanship and combat lifesaving techniques as part of Washington's anti-terror programme. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco 91 Iraqi coastguards inspect their new patrol boats during their graduation ceremony in the southern city of Basra, September 30, 2004. The Iranian coastguard has killed one Iraqi soldier and kidnapped nine others in a confrontation with the Iraqi coastguard, the governor of Basra told al Jazeera television on Monday. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 92 Head of the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) Andrew Lindberg (L) and company spokesman Peter McBride leave a government wheat inquiry at lunch in Sydney January 17, 2006. Lindberg said he no longer stood by earlier statements which denied illicit payments by the AWB to the government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. REUTERS/Will Burgess 93 Head of the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) Andrew Lindberg (R) and company spokesman Peter McBride are pictured on the street during an inquiry in Sydney January 17, 2006. Lindberg said he no longer stood by earlier statements which denied illicit payments by the AWB to the government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. REUTERS/Will Burgess 94 Head of the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) Andrew Lindberg (R) and company spokesman Peter McBride leave an inquiry during lunchbreak in Sydney January 17, 2006. Lindberg said he no longer stood by earlier statements which denied illicit payments by the AWB to the government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. REUTERS/Will Burgess 95 Managing Director of the Australian Wheat Board, Andrew Lindberg, leaves a government inquiry in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006. The inquiry is investigating whether the Australian wheat exporter knowingly provided hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime under the UN oil for food program. (AP Photo/Paul Miller) 96 Managing Director of the Australian Wheat Board, Andrew Lindberg, center, leaves a government inquiry in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006. The inquiry is investigating whether the Australian wheat exporter knowingly provided hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime under the UN oil for food program. (AP Photo/Paul Miller) 97 Head of the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) Andrew Lindberg (R) and company spokesman Peter McBride are pictured on street during an inquiry in Sydney January 17, 2006. Lindberg said he no longer stood by earlier statements which denied illicit payments by the AWB to the government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. REUTERS/Will Burgess 98 ISAF military vehicles tow a truck destroyed by a suicide bomb attack in Kandahar. Suicide bombers killed 24 people in two separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, further raising fears that militants are copying the tactics of Iraqi insurgents.(AFP/File) 99 Iraqi soldiers patrol the holy city of Najaf, 150 kms south of Baghdad. The body in charge of last month's Iraqi elections announced it has cancelled a tiny number of ballots, paving the way for final but uncertified results to be issued later this week.(AFP/Qassem Zein) 100 Insurgents sit on the ground after being arrested in the village of Gurna, 80 kms south of Basra. The body in charge of last month's Iraqi elections announced it has cancelled a tiny number of ballots, paving the way for final but uncertified results to be issued later this week.(AFP) 101 A military helicopter flies over smoke after an explosion in central Baghdad. A US helicopter crashed north of Baghdad killing its two pilots -- the third chopper lost in 10 days -- the military said, amid reports it was brought down by insurgent rocket fire.(AFP/Sabah Arar) 102 A military helicopter flies over smoke after an explosion in central Baghdad. A US helicopter also crashed north of Baghdad with two pilots on board -- the third chopper lost in 10 days -- the military said, amid reports it was brought down by rocket fire. There was no word on the fate of the pilots.(AFP/Sabah Arar) 103 Brigadier General William McCoy, head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq, speaks to reporters in Baghdad January 16, 2006. McCoy told the news briefing that one of the biggest reconstruction achievements were efforts to restore Iraq's electrical power supply to nearly pre-war levels. 'We have completed 345 electrical projects worth more than $2 billion. We have added over 2,300 megawatts to the grid,' said McCoy. REUTERS/Bob Strong 104 Afghan men survey the damage left in the wake of a suicide bomb attack in Kandahar. Suicide bombers killed 24 people in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, further raising fears that militants here are copying the tactics of Iraqi insurgents.(AFP) 105 Polish Soldiers train for a sixth mission to Iraq at Drawsko Pomorskie training ground, in northern Poland January 16, 2006. REUTERS/Peter Andrews 106 Iraqi Electoral Commissioner Hussein al-Hendawi speaks during a news conference in Baghdad January 16, 2006. Iraq's Electoral Commission annulled results from 227 ballot boxes on Monday, upholding complaints of irregularities in the December 15 election, but said this would have little effect on results already announced. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 107 Iraqi Electoral Commissioner Adel al-Lamy speaks during a news conference in Baghdad January 16, 2006. Iraq's Electoral Commission annulled results from 227 ballot boxes on Monday, upholding complaints of irregularities in the December 15 election, but said this would have little effect on results already announced. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 108 An Iraqi doctor tends to a wounded man at a hospital in Baquba, following a car bomb explosion in Muqdadiyah. Five Iraqi policemen and a 12-year-old child were killed when a car bomb exploded in Muqdadiyah, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Baghdad.(AFP/Ali Yussef) 109 A military helicopter flies over a plume of smoke after an explosion in Baghdad. An Iraqi Islamist group claimed in an Internet statement the downing of a US helicopter north of Baghdad -- the third US army chopper to crash within 10 days in the war-torn country.(AFP/File/Sabah Arar) 110 Iraqi soldiers lead away suspected insurgents after an early morning raid, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in the southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (341 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. With the assistance of British and Danish battalions, Iraqi forces launched a major raid on Nahir al Aiz district northern Basra during the early morning hours that lead to the arrest 36 suspected insurgents. 10 stolen vehicles were confiscated along with weapons, ammunition and explosive sets. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) 111 Garabet Jikerjian, 41, left, who holds both Cypriot and Lebanese citizenships and Cypriot foreign minister George Iakovou talk to the media during a press conference at the ministry office in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2006. Jikerjian was kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad on Aug. 21, 2005. He was released on New Year's eve after the family paid a ransom of US$ 200,000 (euro 165,000) to the kidnappers. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) 112 A victim of a car bomb are brought to the Baqouba hospital, for medical treatment Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in Baqouba, 65 kilometers (35 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. A car bomb detonated Monday in Muqdadiya, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Baghdad, next to a police convoy killed six people, including a six-year-old child and five police officers. (AP Photo/Mohammed Adnan) 113 Iraq soldiers lead away suspected terrorists after an early morning raid, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in the southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (341 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. With the assistance of British and Danish battalions, Iraqi forces launched a major raid on Nahir al Aiz district northern Basra during the early morning hours that lead to the arrest 36 suspected terrorists. Ten stolen vehicles were confiscated along with weapons, ammunition and explosive sets. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) 114 A victim of a car bomb is treated at the Baqouba hospital, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in Baqouba, 65 kilometers (35 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. A car bomb detonated Monday in Muqdadiya, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Baghdad, next to a police convoy killed six people, including a six-year-old child and five police officers. (AP Photo/Mohammed Adnan) 115 Iraq soldiers gather suspected terrorists after an early morning raid, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in the southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (341 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. With the assistance of British and Danish battalions, Iraqi forces launched a major raid on Nahir al Aiz district northern Basra during the early morning hours that lead to the arrest 36 suspected terrorists. Ten stolen vehicles were confiscated along with weapons, ammunition and explosive sets. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) 116 Iraqi soldiers gather suspected terrorists after an early morning raid, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in the southern city of Basra, 550 kilometers (341 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. With the assistance of British and Danish battalions, Iraqi forces launched a major raid on Nahir al Aiz district northern Basra during the early morning hours that lead to the arrest 36 suspected terrorists. Ten stolen vehicles were confiscated along with weapons, ammunition and explosive sets. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) 117 A British military officer and foreign journalists stand at a hallway in a bunker in Baghdad in this January 11, 2006 file photo. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 118 An Iraqi soldier mans his machinegun after a raid in the village of Gurna, about 80 km (50 miles) from Basra in southern Iraq January 16, 2006. Iraqi soldiers, joined by British and Polish troops, detained 36 insurgents and rescued two Iraqi hostages in the area, Iraqi soldiers said. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 119 Polish troops ride in their armoured vehicle after a raid in the village of Gurna, about 80 km (50 miles) from Basra in southern Iraq January 16, 2006. Iraqi soldiers, joined by British and Polish troops, detained 36 insurgents and rescued two Iraqi hostages in the area, Iraqi soldiers said. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 120 Insurgents sit on the ground after they were arrested in the village of Gurna, about 80 km (50 miles) from Basra in southern Iraq January 16, 2006. Iraqi soldiers, joined by British and Polish troops detained 36 insurgents and rescued two Iraqi hostages in the area, Iraqi soldiers said. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 121 An Iraqi soldier stands guard near insurgents who were arrested in the village of Gurna, about 80 km (50 miles) from Basra in southern Iraq January 16, 2006. Iraqi soldiers, joined by British and Polish troops, detained 36 insurgents and rescued two Iraqi hostages in the area, Iraqi soldiers said. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 122 Iraqi soldiers secure a road after a roadside bomb attack nearby in central Baghdad January 16, 2006. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani 123 An Iraqi soldier escorts some of the insurgents who were arrested in the village of Gurna, about 80 km (50 miles) from Basra in southern Iraq January 16, 2006. Iraqi soldiers, joined by British and Polish troops, detained 36 insurgents and rescued two Iraqi hostages in the area, Iraqi soldiers said. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 124 An Iraqi boy sits among insurgents arrested in the village of Gurna, about 80 km (50 miles) from Basra in southern Iraq January 16, 2006. Iraqi soldiers, joined by British and Polish troops, detained 36 insurgents and rescued two Iraqi hostages in the area, Iraqi soldiers said. The boy was also detained. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 125 Iraqi policemen practice marching during a rehearsal for Police Day anniversary celebration in Basra, Iraq January 8, 2006. The United States is assigning more than 2,000 military police advisers to Iraqi police in a stepped-up training program, a spokesman said on Monday. REUTERS/Atef Hassan 126 Iraqi women wait in line at a local bank to receive a monthly government allowance, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. During the last decade of international sanctions on the country, the Iraqi government had issued food rations to citizens. The government is now issuing 19,000 Iraqi Dinars (US$13, 11 Euros) per person, per month, in place of food due to countrywide shortages. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) 127 An Iraqi woman shows her identification card as she waits in line at a local bank to receive a monthly government allowance, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. During the last decade of international sanctions on the country, the Iraqi government had issued food rations to citizens. The government is now issuing 19,000 Iraqi Dinars (US$13, 11 Euros) per person, per month, in place of food due to countrywide shortages. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) 128 The report on the Iraqi oil-for-food program presented by Paul Volcker to the Security Council at the United Nations in New York is shown September 7, 2005. Australia's monopoly wheat exporter AWB Ltd was accused on Monday of being prepared to deceive the United Nations over the terms of past oil-for-food wheat deals in Iraq, a government inquiry heard. REUTERS/ Chip East 129 In this picture provided by the US military Monday Jan. 16, 2006 rockets and mortars are piled on the outskirts of Barwana, 175 kilometers (108 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraq, on an undisclosed date. The weapons were then destroyed by soldiers from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6. (AP Photo/US Military, Lance Cpl. Shane S. Keller) 130 In this picture provided by the US military Monday Jan. 16, 2006 rockets and mortars are destroyed on the outskirts of Barwana, 175 kilometers (108 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraq, on an undisclosed date. The weapons were destroyed by soldiers from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6. (AP Photo/US Military, Lance Cpl. Shane S. Keller) 131 Iraqi soldiers patrol a road after a roadside bomb attack nearby in central Baghdad January 16, 2006. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani 132 US Marine Corps engineers carry artillery shells seized in an insurgent weapons cache. A US military helicopter crashed north of Baghdad, the US military said, adding that there was no immediate news of its two-man crew(AFP/US Army) 133 Seen through night vision optics, US military soldier Sgt. Juan Castellanos, 26, of Willow Creek, CA, looks at the camera from the darkness inside his Stryker vehicle moments before he leads a raid in a house, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006, in Mosul, 400 kilometers (248 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. Castellanos' unit, the 4th Squadron 14th Cavalry Regiment, ended up detaining no one on the raid, after realizing faulty intelligence had apparently led them to the wrong house. (AP Photo/Nick Wadhams) 134 Iraqi soldiers secure off a stretch of highway after a roadside attack early Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, in central Baghdad, Iraq. The roadside bomb was targeting an Iraqi military patrol injuring 5 soldiers. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) 135 U.S. Marines from 2d Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion,1st Marine Regiment arrange munitions unearthed in Barwana, Iraq in this picture taken January 14, 2006 and released January 16, 2006. Numerous rockets, mortars and bags of repellant were found buried in the outskirts of the city by an interpreter, according to the U.S. Marines. REUTERS/U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Shane S. Keller, 2d Marine Division Combat Camera/Handout 136 Munitions lie on the ground before their controlled detonation by the U.S. Marines from 2d Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion,1st Marine Regiment in Barwana, Iraq in this picture taken January 14, 2006 and released January 16, 2006. Numerous rockets, mortars and bags of repellant were found buried in the outskirts of the city by an interpreter, according to the U.S. Marines. REUTERS/U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Shane S. Keller, 2d Marine Division Combat Camera/Handout 137 A ball of fire and smoke erupts after the U.S. explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) team detonated insurgents' arms caches unearthed by U.S. Marines from 2d Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment in Barwana, Iraq in this picture taken January 14, 2006 and released January 16, 2006. REUTERS/U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Shane S. Keller, 2d Marine Division Combat Camera /Handout 138 Reuters journalist Majeed Hameed (R) embraces a colleague shortly after he and Ali al-Mashadani (L) were released from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad January 15, 2006. The U.S. military freed two Iraqi journalists who work for Reuters on Sunday after holding them for several months without charge. At least three other Iraqi journalists for international media, including a freelance cameraman working for Reuters in the northern town of Tal Afar, remain in custody. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 139 Presiding Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin listens to testimony as the trial of Saddam Hussein resumes in Baghdad. Amin has resigned from his post, but the government has still to accept the move, the tribunal trying Iraq's deposed dictator said.(AFP/Pool/File/Bob Strong) 140 This image supplied by the Pomegranate Gallery in New York shows a piece of art by Qasim Sabti which he made from book covers salvaged from the Iraqi Academy of Fine Arts after the U.S. bombing of Baghdad. The exhibit 'Ashes to Art: The Iraqi Phoenix' will be on display at the Pomegranate Gallery from Jan. 19 through Feb. 22. (AP Photo/Pomegranate Gallery, HO) 141 This undated image supplied by the Pomegranate Gallery in New York shows a piece of art by Qasim Sabti which he made from book covers salvaged from the Iraqi Academy of Fine Arts after the U.S. bombing of Baghdad. The exhibit 'Ashes to Art: The Iraqi Phoenix' will be on display at the Pomegranate Gallery from Jan. 19 through Feb. 22. (AP Photo/Pomegranate Gallery, HO) 142 Iraqis walk at a bus station shortly after they were released from the Abu Ghraib prison, west of Baghdad January 15, 2006. The U.S. military freed 509 Iraqi detainees including two Reuters journalists, who have been held for several months without charge. REUTERS/Stringer 143 Reuters journalist Ali al-Mashhadani (R), a television cameraman, embraces a colleague shortly after his release from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad January 15, 2006. The U.S. military freed two Iraqi journalists who work for Reuters on Sunday after holding them for several months without charge. Ali, who was arrested last August, and Majed Hameed, a correspondent for Reuters and Arabiya television who was detained in September, are both based in Ramadi, one of the centres of a Sunni Arab insurgency. At least three other Iraqi journalists for international media, including a freelance cameraman working for Reuters in the northern town of Tal Afar, remain in custody. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani 144 King Abdullah of Jordan, right, King of Bahrain Sheik Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa, second from right, UAE's president Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, third from right, Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheik Sabah Al Sabah, fourth from right, and the emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, first left, offer their prayers during the funeral for the emir of Kuwait , Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, at Sulaibikhat cemetery, Kuwait City on Sunday, Jan.15, 2006. The Kuwait emir, who survived a 1980's assassination attempt and a decade later escaped Iraqi troops invading his oil-rich Persian Gulf state, died Sunday and was buried in a public cemetery as thousands of mourners grieved. He was 79. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari) 145 Iraqi soldiers are seen on guard near the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad January 15, 2006. The U.S. military freed two Iraqi journalists who work for Reuters on Sunday after holding them for several months without charge. Ali al-Mashhadani, a television cameraman who was arrested in August, and Majed Hameed, a correspondent for Reuters and Al Arabiya television who was detained in September, are both based in Ramadi, one of the centres of Sunni Arab insurgency. They were freed from Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison after being held there and at Camp Bucca, a U.S. jail in southern Iraq. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 146 Iraqi soldiers are seen on guard outside the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad January 15, 2006. The U.S. military freed two Iraqi journalists who work for Reuters on Sunday after holding them for several months without charge. Ali al-Mashhadani, a television cameraman who was arrested in August, and Majed Hameed, a correspondent for Reuters and Al Arabiya television who was detained in September, are both based in Ramadi, one of the centres of Sunni Arab insurgency. They were freed from Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison after being held there and at Camp Bucca, a U.S. jail in southern Iraq. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz 147 The former Reuters office building on Fleet Street in London. The US military has freed 509 Iraqi detainees from three prisons in Iraq, including two journalists who work for Reuters, the justice ministry and the British news agency said.(AFP/File/Adrian Dennis) 148 A Kuwaiti woman takes pictures with a phone camera while standing behind a police line, as members of the public offer their last prayers for the emir of Kuwait , Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, at Sulaibikhat cemetery, Kuwait City on Sunday, Jan.15, 2006. The Kuwait emir, who survived a 1980's assassination attempt and a decade later escaped Iraqi troops invading his oil-rich Persian Gulf state, died Sunday and was buried in a public cemetery as thousands of mourners grieved. He was 79. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari) 149 Kuwaiti officials and members of the public offer their last prayers for the emir of Kuwait , Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, beside his grave (foreground, right) at Sulaibikhat cemetery, Kuwait City on Sunday, Jan.15, 2006. The Kuwait emir, who survived a 1980s assassination attempt and a decade later escaped Iraqi troops invading his oil-rich Persian Gulf state, died Sunday and was buried in a public cemetery as thousands of mourners grieved. He was 79. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari) 150 A local Iraqi looks at pet birds for sale at and open air market, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraqi government is attempting to prevent an outbreak of avian flu by banning poultry imports from at least 20 countries, including neighbors such as Kuwait and Turkey which have reported cases over the last few months. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban) 151 A local Iraqi poultry seller makes a sale at an open air market, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraqi government is attempting to prevent an outbreak of avian flu by banning poultry imports from at least 20 countries, including neighbors such as Kuwait and Turkey which have reported cases over the last few months. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban) 152 A local Iraqi poultry seller sits with his bird at an open air market, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraqi government is attempting to prevent an outbreak of avian flu by banning poultry imports from at least 20 countries, including neighbors such as Kuwait and Turkey which have reported cases over the last few months. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban) 153 A local Iraqi pet bird vendor removes a bird for sale at an open air market, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraqi government is attempting to prevent an outbreak of avian flu by banning poultry imports from at least 20 countries, including neighbors such as Kuwait and Turkey which have reported cases over the last few months. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban) 154 Reuters staff welcome Ali al-Mashadani (2nd L) and Majeed Hameed (front 2nd R) at the Reuters office, shortly after they were released from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad January 15, 2006. The U.S. military freed two Iraqi journalists who work for Reuters on Sunday after holding them for several months without charge. At least three other Iraqi journalists for international media, including a freelance cameraman working for Reuters in the northern town of Tal Afar, remain in custody. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 155 Reuters Iraq bureau chief Alastair Macdonald (L) welcomes Ali al-Mashadani (C) and Majeed Hameed (R) at the Reuters office, shortly after they were released from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad January 15, 2006. The U.S. military freed two Iraqi journalists who work for Reuters on Sunday after holding them for several months without charge. At least three other Iraqi journalists for international media, including a freelance cameraman working for Reuters in the northern town of Tal Afar, remain in custody. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 156 U.S. Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt left, spokesman for the US military in Iraq, talks to journalists after receiving a petition calling for the release of Al-Arabiya's Baghdad news reporter Majed Hameed Sunday Jan. 15, 2006, who was detained by US forces in Iraq, at Al-Arabiya building in Media City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The U.S. military on Sunday released a reporter working for an Arab satellite news channel after a four-month detention, a U.S. Army general said. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) 157 A group of reporters hold posters calling for the release of Al-Arabiya's Baghdad news reporter Majed Hameed Sunday Jan. 15, 2006 who was detained by US forces in Iraq, at Al Arabia building in Media City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The U.S. military on Sunday released a reporter working for an Arab satellite news channel after a four-month detention, a U.S. Army general said. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) 158 U.S. Brig. Gen. Mark T. Kimmitt, left, spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, receives a petition from Iraqi journalist, Jawad Kazem, second right in front, Sunday Jan. 15, 2006 on behalf of a group of reporters calling for the release of Al-Arabiya's Baghdad news reporter Majed Hameed who was detained by US forces in Iraq at the Al-Arabia building in Media City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The U.S. military on Sunday released a reporter working for an Arab satellite news channel after a four-month detention, the U.S. Army general said. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) 159 A Kuwaiti policeman hands out bottles of water to people waiting for the start of the funeral procession the emir of Kuwait, Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah in front of the deceased leader's palace in Dasman, Kuwait City on Sunday, Jan.15, 2006. The emir of Kuwait, Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, who allowed the United States to use his tiny oil-rich country as a launch pad for the invasion that toppled Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, died Sunday, state television announced. He was 79. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari) 160 Relatives weep over the coffin of an Iraqi soldier during a funeral in Kirkuk, about 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, January 15, 2006. The soldier was kidnapped by insurgents seven days ago and was found dead today, residents said. REUTERS/Slahaldeen Rasheed 161 U.S. combat engineers from Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines carry artillery shells they unearthed during Operation Hedgehog at a village in Hit, Iraq in this photo taken January 7, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/ Sgt. Richard D. Stephens/Handout 162 Munitions from insurgents' arms caches lie on the ground after they were unearthed by U.S. combat engineers from Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines during Operation Hedgehog at a village in Hit, Iraq in this photo taken January 7, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Sgt. Richard D. Stephens/Handout 163 Munitions from insurgents' arms caches lie on a truck after they were unearthed by U.S. combat engineers from Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines during Operation Hedgehog at a village in Hit, Iraq in this photo taken January 7, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/ Sgt. Richard D. Stephens/Handout 164 Flames and smoke erupt after a U.S. explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) team detonated insurgents' arms caches unearthed by U.S. combat engineers Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines during Operation Hedgehog at a village in Hit, Iraq in this photo taken January 7, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Sgt. Richard D. Stephens/Handout 165 A door is seen after it was forcibly opened by the U.S. forces at one of the entrances of the bunker of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in this picture taken January 11, 2006. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. Picture taken January 11, 2006. To match feature Iraq-Bunker. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 166 A bore shows it was forcibly opened by the U.S. forces at one of the entrances of the bunker of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in this picture taken January 11, 2006. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. Picture taken January 11, 2006. To match feature Iraq-Bunker. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 167 Foreign journalists stand at a room of the bunker of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in this picture taken January 11, 2006. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. Picture taken January 11, 2006. To match feature Iraq-bunker. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 168 A British military officer escorts foreign journalists at the bunker of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in this picture taken January 11, 2006. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. Picture taken January 11, 2006. To match feature Iraq-bunker. REUTERS/Erik de Castro 169 The emir of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, left, stands besides Crown Prince Sheikh Saad Al Sabah, right, during the opening of Kuwait's National Assembly, in this file photo taken October 2002. The emir Sheikh Jaber, who survived an assassination attempt in the 1980s and a decade later escaped Iraqi troops invading his country, died Sunday, January 15, 2005, state television announced. The sheik, who had been ailing since suffering a brain hemorrhage five years ago, was 79.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari, FILE ) 170 The Emir of Kuwait, Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, is seen in this Feb. 1997 photo. Sheik Jaber who survived an assassination attempt in the 1980s and a decade later escaped Iraqi troops invading his oil-rich Persian Gulf state, died Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, state television announced. The sheik, who had been ailing since suffering a brain hemorrhage five years ago, was 79. Crown Prince Sheik Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, a distant cousin chosen by the emir as his heir apparent in 1978, takes over as ruler of the tiny oil-rich country - a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari, File) 171 A Marine's color guard shows respect to Ronald Schultz, a Jamestown native whom the Islamic Army in Iraq claimed to have killed last month, and his family by presenting the American flag to Ronald's mother, Gladys Schultz, at a worship ceremony at St. John's Lutheran Church on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006, in Jamestown, N.D. (AP Photo/Alyssa Hurst) 172 A cupboard, which belonged to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, stands in one of the rooms in a bunker in Baghdad in this January 11, 2006 file photo. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. To match feature Iraq-Bunker. REUTERS/Erik de Castro/Files 173 Foreign journalists stand inside the briefing room of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein at a bunker in Baghdad in this January 11, 2006 file photo. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. To match feature Iraq-Bunker. REUTERS/Erik de Castro/Files 174 A table lies inside a room which belonged to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein at a bunker in Baghdad in this January 11, 2006 file photo. Like its former master, brought low by Iraqis who betrayed him to U.S. troops as he hid below ground, Saddam's nuclear bunker, a short step from the courthouse, is in a sorry state --wrecked not by the American bombs that destroyed the palace above it but by local looters who swarmed in after his fall. To match feature Iraq-Bunker. REUTERS/Erik de Castro/Files 175 President George W. Bush at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky, January 11, 2006. Bush on Saturday called for a prompt Senate vote on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, playing down Democratic concerns that he could tilt the high court too far to the right. Bush, in his weekly radio address, emphasized Alito's judicial experience, saying the judge approached the law in a 'thoughtful, fair, and open-minded way' and would not impose his personal views. REUTERS/Larry Downing 176 A crane removes the wreckage of U.S. OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter after it crashed in Mosul, about 390 km (240 miles) northwest of Baghdad January 13, 2006. Al Qaeda in Iraq said on Saturday it was behind the downing of a U.S. military helicopter near the northern city of Mosul which killed its two pilots, according to a Web posting. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen 177 Iraqi residents chat on a street in front of a giant election ballot billboard, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. A senior Iraqi election official on Saturday said the country's electoral commission would not be able to release final results from the Dec. 15 elections in the coming week, likely delaying certification of the outcome until the end of the month. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 178 Presiding Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin speaks to another judge on the tribunal during the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven of his aides at their trial in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, in this December 6, 2005 file photo. Amin has tendered his resignation in protest at pressure from the Iraqi government on himself and the court, a source close to the judge told Reuters on January 14, 2006. High Tribunal officials were trying to talk Kurdish judge Amin out of his decision, the source said, adding that Amin was reluctant to stay on because Shi'ite leaders had criticised him for being too lenient on Saddam in court. REUTERS/Stefan Zaklin/Pool/Files 179 Presiding Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin speaks to the court as the trial of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein resumes in Baghdad in this November 28, 2005 file photo. Amin has tendered his resignation in protest at pressure from the Iraqi government on himself and the court, a source close to the judge told Reuters on January 14, 2006. High Tribunal officials were trying to talk Kurdish judge Amin out of his decision, the source said, adding that Amin was reluctant to stay on because Shi'ite leaders had criticised him for being too lenient on Saddam in court. REUTERS/Bob Strong/Files 180 Presiding Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin speaks to the court at the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven of his aides at their trial held under tight security in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in this December 5, 2005 file photo. Amin has tendered his resignation in protest at pressure from the Iraqi government on himself and the court, a source close to the judge told Reuters on January 14, 2006. High Tribunal officials were trying to talk Kurdish judge Amin out of his decision, the source said, adding that Amin was reluctant to stay on because Shi'ite leaders had criticised him for being too lenient on Saddam in court. REUTERS/Stefan Zaklin/Pool/Files 181 Iraqi citizens return to work following a four-day official holiday to celebrated the Muslim Eid al-Adha or Feats of the Sacrifice in the Shurjah district of Baghdad. A British journalist has revealed his lucky escape from kidnappers in Iraq thanks to a chance raid by US troops, following an abduction that went unnoticed by British and Iraqi authorities.(AFP/Karim Sahib) 182 An Iraqi soldier mans a checkpoint along a main bridge crossing the Tigris River in central Baghdad, as people return to work a day after the Muslim Eid al-Adha festivities. A British journalist has revealed his lucky escape from kidnappers in Iraq thanks to a chance raid by US troops, following an abduction that went unnoticed by British and Iraqi authorities.(AFP/Sabah Arar) 183 An Iraqi soldier mans his gun mounted on a truck at a checkpoint along a main bridge crossing the Tigris River in central Baghdad. A British journalist has revealed his lucky escape from kidnappers in Iraq thanks to a chance raid by US troops, following an abduction that went unnoticed by British and Iraqi authorities.(AFP/Sabah Arar) 184 An Iraqi soldier gestures while securing a road after the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holidays in Baghdad January 14, 2006. International experts investigating complaints of fraud in Iraq's December 15 parliamentary election will deliver preliminary findings on Sunday or Monday, the head of the team said on Saturday. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber 185 Iraqi soldiers hold their weapons while on patrol in Baghdad January 14, 2006. International experts investigating complaints of fraud in Iraq's December 15 parliamentary election will deliver preliminary findings on Sunday or Monday, the head of the team said on Saturday. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber 186 An Iraqi soldier talks into his walkie-talkie while securing a road after the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holidays in Baghdad January 14, 2006. International experts investigating complaints of fraud in Iraq's December 15 parliamentary election will deliver preliminary findings on Sunday or Monday, the head of the team said on Saturday. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber 187 An Iraqi soldier mans his machinegun while on patrol in Baghdad January 14, 2006. International experts investigating complaints of fraud in Iraq's December 15 parliamentary election will deliver preliminary findings on Sunday or Monday, the head of the team said on Saturday. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber 188 Iraqi soldiers stand on a road as they provide security for motorists after the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holidays in Baghdad January 14, 2006. International experts investigating complaints of fraud in Iraq's December 15 parliamentary election will deliver preliminary findings on Sunday or Monday, the head of the team said on Saturday. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber 189 Investigators search the scene of a roadside attack on an Iraqi police patrol, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. The midday attack injured two police officers. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) 190 A US military escort unloads the flag-draped coffin of Philippines-born US Army Sergeant Myla Maravillosa. A veteran US congressman who set off a firestorm in November by calling for a quick American withdrawal from Iraq is now predicting "the vast majority" of US troops will leave the country by year's end, or maybe even sooner(AFP) 191 US President George W. Bush. A veteran US congressman who set off a firestorm in November by calling for a quick American withdrawal from Iraq is now predicting "the vast majority" of US troops will leave the country by year's end, or maybe even sooner(AFP/Jim Watson) 192 The sun rises as Iraqi families arrive at the Martyr's cemetery in the western town of Fallujah. A veteran US congressman who set off a firestorm in November by calling for a quick American withdrawal from Iraq is now predicting "the vast majority" of US troops will leave the country by year's end, or maybe even sooner(AFP/Mohammed Khodhur) 193 A veteran US congressman, John Murtha, who set off a firestorm in November by calling for a quick American withdrawal from Iraq is now predicting "the vast majority" of US troops will leave the country by year's end, or maybe even sooner.(AFP/File/Paul J.Richards) 194 A Blackhawk medivac helicopter flies over a Marine convoy south of Baghdad in this March 27, 2003 file photo. The number of fatal U.S. military helicopter crashes in Iraq has spiked in recent weeks, fitting a wartime pattern of more frequent accidental and combat crashes during winter months. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch, File) 195 The crumpled wreckage of a U.S. military OH-58D Kiowa helicopter lies on its side, Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. The reconnaissance helicopter went down in the afternoon Friday, killing its two pilots. Military officials say that there were indications the crash was due to hostile ground fire. (AP Photo/Nick Wadhams) 196 Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld (L) inspects a military vehicle with Lt. General John R. Vines, Commanding General Multi-National Corps Iraq, in Baghdad, December 24, 2005. Vines, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, preparing to wrap up his duties and return home, on Friday forecast continuing violence as insurgents try to derail Iraq's political process and target American troops. REUTERS/Jim Young 197 A member of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (C) helps the locals carry a casualty, who was injured when a building collapsed in heavy rain fall, to a military vehicle to be taken to a hospital in the town of Safwan, near the Kuwait border, Iraq January 13, 2006. The unit handed out boxes of water and supplies to the locals after high rain count caused flooding in the town near the Kuwait border. REUTERS/The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards/Corporal Will Craig/Handout 198 A British military vehicle drives through a flooded area in Safwan town, near the Kuwait border, Iraq January 13, 2006. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards handed out boxes of water and supplies to the locals after high rain count caused flooding in the town near the Kuwait border. REUTERS/The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards/Corporal Will Craig/Handout 199 An Iraqi soldier inspects the remains of a car bomb that detonated as an Iraqi police convoy drove by in Baquba, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. Seven Iraqi policemen were wounded, two seriously in the attack, security officials said.(AFP/Ali Yussef) 200 A Sunni Muslim man prays at the shrine of Abdul Kader al-Gilani in central Baghdad. A group of foreign monitors said they will release initial findings of an inquiry into last month's Iraqi elections as early as Sunday, with the final outcome of the vote expected to follow.(AFP/Karim Sahib) 201 An Iraqi boy with a head injury leaves the local hospital following a car bomb that detonated in the western town of Fallujah, 50 kms from Baghdad. The explosion which witnesses said targeted a US military convoy, injured nine civilians according to hospital sources.(AFP/Mohammed Khodur) 202 A US army Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter files over a neighborhood of Kufa in April 2004. Two US pilots were killed when rebels apparently shot down their helicopter in northern Iraq in the second deadly aircraft crash for the military in less than a week.(AFP/File/Ahmad Al-Rubaye) 203 Lieutenant General John Vines, seen here giving a speech in Baghdad in 2005. Al-Qaeda in Iraq is in disarray with many killed or captured, and Sunni supporters increasingly turning against them, Lieutenant General Vines said.(AFP/File) 204 British troops from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards plough through flood waters, as they patrol in their Land Rover at Safwan, near the Kuwaiti border in Iraq, Friday Jan. 13, 2006, where they have been assisting with relief work for the local population, following high rainfall in the area.(AP Photo/Corporal Will Craig, Ministry of Defence, ho) 205 A young Iraqi walks through flood waters at Safwan, near the Kuwaiti border in Iraq, Friday Jan. 13, 2006. British troops from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have been assisting with relief work for the local population, following high rainfall in the area.(AP Photo/Corporal Will Craig, Ministry of Defence, ho) 206 Iraqi residents walks along a road while a U.S. helicopter hovers in the sky in Mosul, about 390 km (240 miles) northwest of Baghdad January 13, 2006. Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Friday, killing its two pilots, witnesses and U.S. officials said. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen 207 A Japanese soldier waves from an armoured vehicle while on patrol in Samawa, about 270 km (160 miles) south of Baghdad January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen 208 Iraqi residents look at the wreckage of a car which was used in a car bomb attack against a passing U.S. convoy in Fallujah, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal 209 A member of the Iraqi Electoral Commission helps a man at a polling station in Falluja, December 15, 2005. The Islamist Shi'ite Alliance bloc will fall short of retaining its parliamentary majority after last month's election, according to an almost final tally of seats in the chamber obtained by Reuters on Friday. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh 210 A US army Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter roves over a neighborhood of Kufa as its secures the area prior to the passage of a convoy April 2004. Two US pilots were killed when their helicopter -- similar to the one pictured -- crashed in northern Iraq, the US military said.(AFP/File/Ahmad Al-Rubaye) 211 U.S. armoured vehicles secure the crash site of the Kiowa Warrior helicopter in Mosul, about 390 km (240 miles) northwest of Baghdad, January 13, 2006. Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Friday, killing its two pilots, witnesses and U.S. officials said. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen 212 A crane removes the wreckage of a U.S. OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter after it crashed in Mosul, January 13, 2005. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen 213 Picture taken April 2003 shows a car driving past the entrance of the German foreign intelligence service (BND or Bundesnachrichtendienst) in Pullach, Germany. German intelligence agents gathered information in Iraq in 2003 and shared it with their US counterparts, a government spokesman said amid a furore over reports that Berlin secretly helped the war effort.(AFP/DDP/File/Sebastian Widmann) 214 US soldiers arrive to secure Haifa street as a Humvee burns in Baghdad, Iraq, moments after unknown assailants fired an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) at the passing vehicle, Thursday, July 3, 2003. Soldiers exposed to Iraq's increasingly lethal roadside bombs, which can rip through even armored Humvees, are drawing upon wartime experience and stateside expertise to upgrade their vehicles with improvements like stronger armor and thermal detection cameras. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) 215 An Iraqi man celebrates on top of a burning U.S. Army Humvee in the northern part of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 26, 2004. Soldiers exposed to Iraq's increasingly lethal roadside bombs, which can rip through even armored Humvees, are drawing upon wartime experience and stateside expertise to upgrade their vehicles with improvements like stronger armor and thermal detection cameras. This photograph is from a portfolio of Associated Press photographs that won the 2004 Pulitzer prize in breaking news photography, the AP's 48th Pulitzer. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen) 216 Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army parades during the last day of Eid al-Adha in honor of the seventh anniversary of the death of Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, Muqrada's father, Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. The Mahdi Army chose Friday for the anniversary although al-Sadr was killed on Feb. 18, 1999. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) 217 A U.S. army helicopter crashed near the city of Mosul, north of Baghdad, on Friday after coming under fire from insurgents on the ground, witnesses said. REUTERS/Graphic 218 Shiite Muslims gather in an outdoor lot to pray next to a poster of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr during the last day of Eid al-Adha, Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. Muslims around the world Friday are celebrating the last day of Eid al-Adha, a four day Muslim feast of sacrifice to commemorate the prophet Abraham's offering of his son to god. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) 219 Slovene and U.S. national guardsmen meet during a joint military exercise near Ptuj, Slovenia, on this Sept. 7, 2005 file photo. Slovene media and opposition leaders on Friday Jan 13 2006 slammed a government decision to deploy four army officers to Iraq to train security forces there. In an apparent shift in foreign policy, the government decided on Thursday to send four soldiers to help prepare Iraqi security troops on the outskirts of Baghdad. (AP Photo/Denis Sarkic, File) 220 U.S. soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, search for weapons caches in Shakaria village in Iraq in this photo taken January 11, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Staff Sgt. Kevin L. Moses/U.S. Army/Handout 221 Iraqi policemen inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Baquba, about 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, January 13, 2006. A car bomb was detonated near a passing Iraqi police convoy killing two policemen and wounding five, police said. REUTERS/Helmiy al-Azawi 222 An Iraqi policeman checks a man's bag outside the Imam Ali shrine before the start of Friday prayers in Najaf, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish 223 An Iraqi policeman holds a machinegun while on guard outside the Imam Ali shrine before the start of Friday prayers in Najaf, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish 224 U.S. soldier Sgt. 1st Class John Williamson, from 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, holds a machinegun during a patrol at Forward Operating Base Q-West in Iraq in this photo taken January 10, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Spc. Clydell Kinchen/U.S. Army/Handout 225 U.S. Army officer Maj. Christopher Engen (L), gesturing while using night vision goggles, and Capt. Tom Fournier (C) -- both from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team -- stand beside an Iraqi army officer during a raid of suspected insurgents' houses in Baiji, 180 km (112 miles) north of Baghdad, in this photo taken January 12, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Spc. Jose Ferrufino/U.S. Army/Handout 226 U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jose D. Hernandez, from Los Angeles, a team leader of Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion demonstrates to Iraqi soldiers the one-man room clearing technique near Camp Korean Village in Iraq January 13, 2006. The U.S. Marines and the Iraqi soldiers were performing pre-combat rehearsals before a raid on a gas station in Iraq. REUTERS/ Cpl. Adam C. Schnell/Handout 227 U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon M. Mitchell, from New London, Wisconsin, and other combat engineers with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment sweep for weapon caches in Lake Tharthar village in Iraq during the five-day Operation Long Horn, covering 250 miles (400 km) and clearing remote locations of insurgent activities, in this photo taken January 8, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/ Cpl. Adam C. Schnell/Handout 228 U.S. Marines Capt. Eric A. Reid (L), from Texas, commanding officer of Mobile Assault Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment talks to a villager in Lake Tharthar village in Iraq during the five-day Operation Long Horn, covering 250 miles (400 km) and clearing remote locations of insurgent activities, in this photo taken January 8, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/ Cpl. Adam C. Schnell/Handout 229 U.S. Marines with Mobile Assault Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment talk to villagers in Lake Tharthar village in Iraq during the five-day Operation Long Horn, covering 250 miles (400 km) and clearing remote locations of insurgent activities, in this photo taken January 8, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/ Cpl. Adam C. Schnell/Handout 230 U.S. soldiers from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, fire a Multiple Launch Rocket System rocket at an enemy target from Forward Operating Base Q-West in Iraq in this photo taken January 12, 2006 and released January 13, 2006. REUTERS/Staff Sgt. James H. Christopher III/Handout 231 Photo of Omar Nakcha, a 23 year-old of Moroccan origin. Spanish police said they had detained a Moroccan whom they suspect of being the leader of two extremist groups recruiting volunteers to fight in Iraq.(AFP/HO/File) 232 An Iraqi man walks in front of a portrait of Shiite Muslim Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani hanging in a mosque in central Baghdad. US forces in Iraq expect a surge in insurgent attacks as political factions prepare to negotiate the first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a US general warned.(AFP/Karim Sahib) 233 US soldiers patrol a rural area on the outskirts of the northern city of Tikrit, Iraq. US forces in Iraq expect a surge in insurgent attacks as political factions prepare to negotiate the first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a US general warned.(AFP/File/Filippo Monteforte) 234 A US soldier and a military vehicle are seen through holes in a sign at camp Victory in Baghdad, 2005. US forces in Iraq expect a surge in insurgent attacks as political factions prepare to negotiate the first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a US general warned.(AFP/POOL/File/Jim Young) 235 Iraqis enjoy a day at the al-Zawraa park on the third day of Eid al-Adha or the Feast of the Sacrifice, as an armed and masked security officer keeps watch in central Baghdad. US forces in Iraq expect a surge in insurgent attacks as political factions prepare to negotiate the first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a US general warned.(AFP/Karim Sahib) 236 Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., makes a point while addressing more than 300 cadets and faculty at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006 ,in Wayne, Pa. Santorum accused the news media and liberals of undermining support for the Iraq war at a time when, he said, Islamic fundamentalist pose a serious threat to national security. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower) 237 Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., speaks to more than three hundred cadets and faculty at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006 in Wayne, Pa. Santorum accused the news media and liberals of undermining support for the Iraq war at a time when, he said, Islamic fundamentalist pose a serious threat to national security. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower) 238 Slovenian army soldiers attend military exercise outside of capital Ljubljana, in September 2001. Slovenia is for the first time to send troops to Iraq, four officers and other ranks who will take part in a NATO training mission for local security forces.(AFP/File) 239 A US soldier secures the area as Iraqi and US soldiers inspect the scene of a car bomb that detonated in the Kazemiya district of Baghdad, on January 4. US forces in Iraq expect a surge in violence as political factions get down to negotiating a new coalition government, a US general warned.(AFP/File/Ali Al Saadi) 240 A Tomcat is guided into launch position on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, March 20, 2003. Germany's foreign intelligence agency denied on Thursday a report that its spies in Baghdad had helped U.S. warplanes select bombing targets during the invasion of Iraq. (Handout/U.S. Navy/Mate 2nd Class James K. McNeil/Reuters) 241 Friends and relatives grieve as they walk in a funeral procession behind the coffin holding the body of translator Ziyad Hamdi, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006, in Kirkuk, 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. Hamdi, working as a translator for the US military, was shot dead and found south of the city. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ibrahim) 242 A coffin holding the body of translator Ziyad Hamdi is taken from the main hospital, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006, in Kirkuk, 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. Hamdi, working as a translator for the US military, was shot dead and found south of the city. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ibrahim) 243 Friends and relatives grieve over the coffin of former senior member of the outlawed Baath Party Jemal Kheder A'bdal during his funeral service, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006, in Mosul, 400 kilometers (248 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq. A'bdal was killed along with three other family members after being gunned down by unknown assailants near his home outside of Mosul, Wednesday, Jan. 11. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ibrahim) 244 Capt. Annemette Hommel, centre, leaves court in Copenhagen, Denmark Thursday Jan. 12, 2006. Hommel and four military police officers were found guilty Thursday of breaching human rights conventions in interrogations of detainees in Iraq. The Copenhagen City Court said Capt. Annemette Hommel and the four co-defendants violated the rights of the detainees by forcing them to kneel in uncomfortable positions during questioning on March 9-10, 2004. The court declined to issue sentences because of extenuating circumstances, saying the defendants had not received clear guidelines from the Danish military. (AP Photo/John McConnico) 245 Capt. Annemette Hommel, left, leaves court in Copenhagen, Denmark Thursday Jan. 12, 2006. Hommel and four military police officers were found guilty Thursday of breaching human rights conventions in interrogations of detainees in Iraq. The Copenhagen City Court said Capt. Annemette Hommel and the four co-defendants violated the rights of the detainees by forcing them to kneel in uncomfortable positions during questioning on March 9-10, 2004. The court declined to issue sentences because of extenuating circumstances, saying the defendants had not received clear guidelines from the Danish military. (AP Photo/John McConnico) 246 The guided missile destroyer USS Porter launches a Tomahawk missile toward Iraq on March 22, 2003. Germany's foreign intelligence agency denied on Thursday a report that its spies in Baghdad had helped U.S. warplanes select bombing targets during the invasion of Iraq. (Handout/Lt. Christopher Senenko/Reuters) 247 A Hornet launches from the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, March 21 2003. Germany's foreign intelligence agency denied on Thursday a report that its spies in Baghdad had helped U.S. warplanes select bombing targets during the invasion of Iraq. (Handout/U.S. Navy/Aaron Burden/Reuters) 248 Moroccan Omar Nakhcha, the alleged leader of two cells broken up this week which recruited fighters for the Iraqi insurgency is seen in this photo issued by the Spanish interior ministry in Madrid Thursday Jan. 12, 2006. Nakhcha was arrested Thursday in the northeastern town of Santa Coloma de Gramanet. (AP Photo/Spanish Interior Ministry) 249 Defendant Amin Lokman Mohamed is seen prior to the announcement of judgement in a Munich, Germany, court on Thursday Jan. 12, 2006. The court convicted the Iraqi national of aiding militants in his home country and sentenced him to seven years in prison. Mohamed was convicted of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and human trafficking for helping Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Christof Stache) 250 Defendant Amin Lokman Mohamed smiles prior to the announcement of judgement in a Munich, Germany, court on Thursday Jan. 12, 2006. The court convicted the Iraqi national of aiding militants in his home country and sentenced him to seven years in prison. Mohamed was convicted of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and human trafficking for helping Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Christof Stache) 251 Defendant Amin Lokman Mohamed gestures prior to the announcement of judgement in a Munich, Germany, court on Thursday Jan. 12, 2006. The court convicted the Iraqi national of aiding militants in his home country and sentenced him to seven years in prison. Mohamed was convicted of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and human trafficking for helping Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Christof Stache) 252 Iraqi Lokman Amin Mohammed reacts before his judgement in a Munich courtroom January 12, 2006. An Iraqi Kurd accused of mobilising fighters and cash for the Iraqi insurgency was convicted by a German court on Thursday on terrorism charges and sentenced to seven years in jail. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle 253 Iraqi Lokman Amin Mohammed awaits his judgement in a Munich courtroom January 12, 2006. An Iraqi Kurd accused of mobilising fighters and cash for the Iraqi insurgency was convicted by a German court on Thursday on terrorism charges and sentenced to seven years in jail. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle 254 Iraqi Lokman Amin Mohammed gestures before his judgement in a Munich courtroom January 12, 2006. An Iraqi Kurd accused of mobilising fighters and cash for the Iraqi insurgency was convicted by a German court on Thursday on terrorism charges and sentenced to seven years in jail. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle 255 Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill about Iraqi prisoner abuse, May 19, 2004. Miller has asserted his right not to incriminate himself in the courts-martial of two soldiers accused of mistreating detainees there, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) 256 A U.S. flag flies at half staff behind a sign at the tastee freez restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska, Wednesday Jan. 11, 2006, honoring the four Alaska Army National Guardsmen killed in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq on Saturday. Alaska governor Frank Murkowski ordered Alaska State flags to half-staff Tuesday and to remain at half-staff until Wednesday, Jan. 18 in honor of the fallen Guardsmen. (AP Photos/ Al Grillo) 257 L. Paul Bremer, civilian administrator in Iraq, discusses with Iraqi tribal leaders in South Central Iraq during their summit Saturday June 14, 2003 in Hillah, 100 kilometers south of Baghdad, Iraq. From the Iraq occupation's earliest days, American generals pressed to have elements of the defeated Iraqi army recalled to duty to help fight the insurgency, but they were rebuffed by the Bush administration, says former occupation chief L. Paul Bremer. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, POOL) 258 US soldier waits for his flight at the US military base in the outskirts of the northen city of Tikrit. Pentagon officials rejected criticism that the Defense Department has failed to provide US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan with potentially life-saving body armor, saying US troops currently have the best equipment available.(AFP/File/Filippo Monteforte) 259 U.S. President George W. Bush (C) delivers his comments about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq while at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky January 11, 2006. Bush is scheduled to return to the White House following the speech. REUTERS/Larry Downing 260 Supporters listen to U.S. President George W. Bush as he delivers comments about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky January 11, 2006. Bush is scheduled to return to the White House following the speech. REUTERS/Larry Downing 261 A supporter hugs U.S. President George W. Bush after he talked about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky January 11, 2006. Bush is scheduled to return to the White House after the speech. REUTERS/Larry Downing 262 U.S. President George W. Bush while delivering comments about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq while at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky January 11, 2006. Bush is scheduled to return to the White House following the speech. REUTERS/Larry Downing 263 Supporters listen to U.S. President George W. Bush (L) as he delivers his comments about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky January 11, 2006. Bush is scheduled to return to the White House following the speech. REUTERS/Larry Downing 264 In this photo provided by the Marine Corps U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Little of Climax, Mich. is shown. Little died in an explosion near Ferris, Iraq, one of five Marines killed Saturday in separate incidents according to the Department of Defense. (AP Photo/Marine Corps) 265 President Bush talks about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky January 11, 2006. (Larry Downing/Reuters) 266 President Bush listens to a question while delivering comments about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky, January 11, 2006. (Larry Downing/Reuters) 267 Supporters listen to President Bush delivering comments about the U.S. military involvement in Iraq at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky, January 11, 2006. (Larry Downing/Reuters)