CNN.com - Monday, August 7

Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Daylight.

9 die in series of roadside bomb attacks in central Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A series of three roadside bombs exploded in central Baghdad's Nahdha district Tuesday morning, killing nine people and wounding eight others, including three police, an official with Baghdad emergency police said.

At least two of the bombs targeted Iraqi police patrols, the official said. (Posted 2:45 a.m.)

Israeli soldier dies in fighting; Israel launches 82 overnight airstrikes

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- One Israeli soldier was killed and four were wounded in overnight fighting in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military reported Tuesday.

According to Israel Defense Forces, Hezbollah fighters in Dabel fired anti-tank missiles on Israeli troops with deadly results.

In the village of Al Mansouri, Israeli forces killed four Hezbollah fighters and killed three others in the villages of Bint Jbeil and Ramiya, IDF said. According to the Israeli military, five guerrillas were taken prisoner in Bint Jbeil and Shihin.

IDF reported 82 airstrikes in Lebanon overnight that targeted buildings, access routes and missile launchers.

The soldier's death brings the Israeli death toll in the nearly month-old conflict to 98, including 35 civilians killed by Hezbollah rocket attacks. (Posted 2:20 a.m.)

U.S. soldier dies in Anbar province, west of Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier died from wounds "sustained from enemy action" in Iraq's Anbar province Monday, the military said.

The soldier was assigned to the U.S. Army's 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division. The soldier's name was being withheld pending notification of relatives, the military said.

The death brings the number of U.S. soldiers who have died since the Iraq war began to 2,591. (Posted 2:20 a.m.)

Olmert says Israel prepared for 'terrible price' in fight against Hezbollah

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- At least three Israeli soldiers were killed Monday in southern Lebanon as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called for international support for Israel's battle with Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed by an antitank missile in fighting near the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, while a third died battling Hezbollah in the same area, the Israel Defense Forces reported. And the IDF said its troops suffered more casualties near the town of Debel late Monday, but no details were released. (Posted 7:38 p.m.)

Strong quake in South Pacific off Vanuatu; no threat of major tsunami

(CNN) -- A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific off the island nation of Vanuatu Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the there was no threat of a major, Pacific-wide tsunami associated with the quake, although it could generate local tsunamis along coasts located within about 60 miles of the epicenter.

The epicenter of the quake was 50 miles east-southeast of Luganville, or about 135 miles north-northwest of the country's capital, Port Vila. The earthquake occurred at 9:18 a.m. (6:18 p.m. Monday ET). (Posted 7:17 p.m.)

U.S. soldiers admitted role in rape, slayings in Mahmoudiya, investigators say

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- One of the U.S. soldiers charged in the rape and killing of an Iraqi girl and the slayings of her family told investigators that after the killings, he poured kerosene on the girl's bullet-ridden body, then returned to his duty station and grilled chicken wings, according to testimony Monday in a military hearing.

In an interview with the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigative Division in June, Spec. James P. Barker, 23, admitted that he held the girl down while she was raped by another soldier, Sgt. Paul Cortez, during an incident in March in Mahmoudiya, according to testimony from CID Special Agent Benjamin Bierce.

Barker confessed that he then attempted to rape the girl himself, before she was shot to death by former Pfc. Steven D. Green, Bierce said. However, Barker told investigators he was not sure if he actually penetrated the girl, because he was having trouble getting an erection. (Posted 6:43 p.m.)

Lebanon, Arab League press for changes in U.S.-French peace plan

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Lebanon and its Arab League allies Monday pressed the United Nations to call for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon as part of a deal to end the nearly four-week-old war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.

"We need to have an effective cessation of hostilities, and Lebanon is offering a way out of the present situation," Tarek Mitri, Lebanon's special envoy to the United Nations, said on CNN's "The Situation Room."

Lebanon's government late Monday approved the deployment of 15,000 troops from its national army to southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has held sway since Israeli troops withdrew in 2000. The move comes in support of a Lebanese proposal to have Israeli troops hand over their current positions in southern Lebanon to the U.N. observer mission UNIFIL as they withdraw.

UNIFIL would then hand over control to Lebanese forces within 72 hours and help them deploy, according to a draft of the Lebanese plan obtained by CNN. Hezbollah, which sparked the current crisis by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers July 12, would withdraw to positions north of the Litani River, and Lebanese troops would "insure total respect of the cessation of hostilities in the area," the draft states. (Posted 6:31 p.m.)

Scalia rejects Texas GOP's attempt to strike DeLay's name from the ballot

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Rep. Tom DeLay's name will remain on the ballot in his old Texas congressional district after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Monday denied the Texas GOP's emergency request block a lower court ruling that keeps his name on the ballot.

Earlier in the day, the Texas Republican Party had filed an emergency petition asking for an order to block the lower court's ruling last week that said DeLay's name cannot be removed from the general election ballot in the state's 22nd Congressional District.

Scalia has jurisdiction over appeals in Texas.

The party, which had asked that no action be taken until it can file an appeal, can now ask the full court to consider its emergency petition, or it can file a full appeal, a process that could take weeks or months. (Posted 5:53 p.m.)

Computer with vets' records missing from subcontractor's office

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two days after authorities announced an arrest in the case of a stolen laptop computer containing information on 26.5 million veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that a desktop computer containing data on about 38,000 veterans is missing.

The VA said the computer is missing from the offices of a subcontractor hired to aid in insurance collections for medical centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

"VA's inspector general, the FBI and local law enforcement are conducting a thorough investigation of this matter," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Nicholson.

In a written statement, the VA said it was notified on Aug. 3 by the subcontractor, Unisys Corp., that the computer was missing from its Reston, Va., offices. (Posted 4:11 p.m.)

Phoenix 'Serial Shooter' suspect says he didn't do it

PHOENIX (CNN) -- One of the suspects in Phoenix's "Serial Shooter" case said Monday he had nothing to do with a string of shootings that has left six people dead and 18 wounded, and he'd "like to see" police prove he did.

Dale Hausner, 33, was arrested last week along with Samuel John Dieteman at a suburban Mesa apartment complex where Hausner lived and Dieteman was temporarily staying.

"I'm sorry to all the families that's been hurt by somebody, but not by me," Hausner, shackled and wearing a black and white striped jail uniform, told reporters before a public defender stopped the news conference. (Posted 3:43 p.m.)

Lebanon to send 15,000 troops to border

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Lebanon's government has agreed to dispatch 15,000 troops to its southern border as part of a peace agreement so long as Israeli troops withdraw from the country, a government spokesman said late Monday.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Cabinet, which includes two ministers from the Shiite Muslim militia Hezbollah, made the decision unanimously, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said.

Hezbollah has effectively controlled southern Lebanon since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, and its July 12 kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid has provoked a nearly month-long battle that has devastated Lebanon and killed more than 700 people, Lebanese authorities reported.

Earlier, Siniora's government ordered any former soldiers who have left the service in the past five years back to active duty. (Posted 3:26 p.m.)

Two Israeli troops killed in southern Lebanon

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Two Israeli soldiers were killed by an antitank missile Monday in fighting near the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, the Israeli military reported.

The Israel Defense Forces said the soldiers were reservists recently called up to fight Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas. Their deaths bring the Israeli death toll in the nearly month-old conflict to 97, including 35 civilians killed by Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Bint Jbeil has been the scene of heavy fighting since the Israeli campaign began July 12. (Posted 2:19 p.m.)

New Israeli airstrike in south Beirut kills 10

BEIRUT (CNN) -- An Israeli strike hit a south Beirut street Monday evening, killing at least 10 people and wounding 65 others, Lebanese security forces said.

The strike occurred about 8 p.m. (1 p.m. ET). It hit a building near a mosque in the southern suburb of Shiyah, an upscale neighborhood on the edge of mostly Christian east Beirut, officials with the security forces told CNN.

Video of the scene, aired on Lebanese television outlets, showed rescuers attempting to dig for survivors amid the rubble of the collapsed building. Lebanese police and Red Cross workers at the scene were being helped by civilians. (Posted 2:06 p.m.)

LAX adjusts to guidance system failure

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Landings were almost back to normal at Los Angeles International Airport an hour after the instrument landing system failed, forcing air traffic controllers to line up arriving flights in single file for landings on just one of the two runways, according to air traffic control officials.

Controllers eventually restored both runways to use by reversing the direction of approach for landings, according to FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer. With planes approaching from the west -- over the Pacific Ocean -- the guidance system is not needed since the visibility is better, he said. The normal approach to LAX is from the east, he said. (Posted 2:05 p.m.)

Bolton: Perfect Mideast agreement no possible

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- With the U.N. Security Council set to hold an open meeting Tuesday with Arab League delegates who will voice concerns over a draft resolution in the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton on Monday said the council will "take their views into account," but intends to "continue to move to a vote."

He added that the goal of the resolution is not to "achieve a perfect agreement," which he noted would be impossible, "but to take the concrete steps we need to get on the road to a lasting solution."

The Bush administration is pushing the council to vote on the matter in the coming days, after the United States and France hammered out a draft resolution over the weekend. (Posted 1:18 p.m.)

IDF: Israeli aircraft shoot down unmanned Hezbollah drone

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli air force Monday shot down an unmanned Hezbollah drone, but the Israel Defense Forces did not give the drone's location.

Hezbollah has flown drones over northern Israel in the past, presumably to gather intelligence. (Posted 12:50 p.m.)

U.N. to meet with Arab League delegation to hear proposals

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday will hold an "open debate" with an Arab League delegation on resolving the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, according to Qatar's ambassador to the United Nations, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser.

The delegation is en route to New York to request changes in a draft resolution, roundly criticized by Lebanon and its allies for not calling for an immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory.

"The council decided to have an open debate meeting tomorrow at 3 p.m. to listen to the delegation," al-Nasser said Monday.

Other amendments from the Russian and Chinese delegates are also under consideration, he said. (Posted 12:18 p.m.)

Israeli sources: Lebanese residents warned to stay off roads at night

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli military Monday warned residents south of Lebanon's Litani River to stay off of roads after 10 p.m. (3 p.m. ET), Israeli military sources told CNN.

Israel is attempting to establish a buffer zone between Israel and the Litani -- about 25 miles (40 km) north of the border --to halt the Hezbollah cross-border rocket attacks into Israel.

Israel warned Lebanese residents to stay home in a message broadcast through the media, the sources said. (Posted 11:55 a.m.)

Source: Rescuers pull 65 from rubble of Israeli airstrike

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Emergency workers Monday rescued 65 people trapped beneath a home in the southern Lebanese town of Houla, after the entrance was blocked by the debris of an Israeli airstrike, according to a Lebanese law enforcement source in the Houla area.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had warned residents for the past two weeks to leave.

Speaking at the opening of the Arab League summit in Beirut, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called the Houla incident "a horrific massacre," but he corrected himself at a news conference after the meeting.

"It turns out there was the one person killed, they thought the whole building smashed on the heads of about 40 people," Siniora said, speaking in English. "Thank God they have been saved."

But he added that the Houla incident showed Israel has "the intention to kill" civilians. (Posted 11:27 a.m.)

Energy Department willing to consider tapping emergency oil reserves

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Energy Department is considering whether to provide oil from the government's emergency supplies if a refinery requests it because of the disruption of supplies from Alaska, a department spokesman said Monday.

"If there is a request for oil we'll certainly take a serious look at that," said department spokesman Craig Stevens.

Stevens told CNN the department will talk with BP Exploration Alaska Inc. and West Coast refiners later Monday. BP shut down its Alaskan pipeline after it found corrosion and a leak. It said it did not know how long the shutdown will last.

The shutdown affects about 8 percent of U.S. oil production, but only about 2.5 percent of the total U.S. oil supply, most of which comes from imports. (Posted 11:21 a.m.)

Peretz: Israeli military told to proceed as diplomatic process emerges

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Halting the firing of Hezbollah rockets into Israel can be achieved by diplomatic means, but in the meantime the Israeli military has been told to proceed "without taking into consideration the emerging diplomatic process," Israel's defense minister said Monday.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset Foreign Defense and Affairs Committee, "The most important decision in these days is to stop the firing of Katyusha rockets on the Israeli home front.

"The firing of Katyushas can stop in two ways. If the diplomatic process being formed now will stop the firing of Katyusha rockets then Israel can say that the operation changed the rules of the game in the north.

"But the IDF have received instructions to operate without taking into consideration the emerging diplomatic process.

"Both channels are going forward a the same time; I hope the goals will be achieved." (Posted 11:04 a.m.)

2 police killed, 19 people hurt in Samarra suicide bomb

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A suicide truck bomb exploded outside a building used by Iraqi police in the center of the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, killing at least two police commandos and wounding 19 people, including seven police commandos, Monday afternoon, Iraqi police said.

Samarra is about 60 miles north of Baghdad. (Posted 10:57 a.m.)

Rice says current draft resolution 'the right basis' for peace in Lebanon

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday a draft U.N. resolution -- rejected by Lebanon because it does not call for an immediate cease-fire -- "is the right basis" for bringing peace to Lebanon.

She said she has spoken with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and under the current "emotional and tragic circumstances" neither side fully agreed with the draft.

However, she said the current resolution is the right basis for moving forward because it will change the situation on the ground so that the Lebanese government can control the entire country.

Rice spoke along with President Bush in a news briefing at his ranch in Texas, where Bush said the United States is attempting to "develop a resolution that can get passed." (Posted 10:37 a.m.)

Lebanese media: Arab league to request changes in U.N. draft

BEIRUT (CNN) -- In conjunction with a summit in the Lebanese capital, the Arab League foreign ministers Monday issued a statement saying the league will send a delegation to the United Nations to request changes in the Security Council's draft resolution, according to Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.

The draft has been criticized by Lebanon and its allies for not calling for an immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops. (Posted 10:33 a.m.)

Landis: French lab has 'some other agenda'

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Tour de France champion Floyd Landis said "a myriad of reasons" may have resulted in a test showing synthetic testosterone in a urine sample, but he was not using performance-enhancing substances before his victory.

In an interview Monday on CNN's "American Morning," Landis said it may have been caused by "some other agenda by the people doing this test," suggesting it would not be the first time the French lab "has tried to bring down an American athlete."

The International Cycling Union announced Saturday both the first and second urine samples taken July 20 this year -- in the midst of the renowned cycling race -- came back showing a high ratio of testosterone. The samples also contained synthetic testosterone, indicating that the substance came from an outside source.

"There's a myriad of reasons why this test could have made a mistake, including which appears to be the case at this moment is some other agenda by the people doing this test," Landis said. (Posted 10:17 a.m.)

Rep. Bob Ney, under investigation in Abramoff scandal, announces retirement

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Embattled Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, announced Monday morning he will retire at the close of the 109th Congress, abandoning a bid to win a seventh term to the House in November.

Ney, who is under investigation by the Justice Department for his dealings with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, said the decision to step down at the end of the year "ultimately ... came down to my family."

"I must think of them first, and I can no longer put them through this ordeal," Ney said in a statement released by his office.

He made no specific mention of Abramoff or the investigation that had forced him to relinquish his chairmanship of the House Administration Committee in January. -- By CNN Political Editor Mark Preston (Posted 9:24 a.m.)

Israeli police: 83 rockets pound northern Israel; 5 minor injuries

HAIFA, Israel (CNN) -- Hezbollah Monday launched 83 rockets into northern Israel, with 19 landing inside cities, according to Israeli police. Five people sustained minor injuries, police said.

One woman was injured when a rocket directly hit her house in Shlomi near the Israel-Lebanon border on the west side, police said.

Rockets also landed inside the towns of Kiryat Shmona and Safed, as well as open fields around the town of Tiberias and other northern villages, police said.

No injuries were reported.

On Sunday, Hezbollah rocket strikes killed three Israeli civilians in Haifa and 12 army reservists near Kfar Giladi -- the highest single day death toll since hostilities began on July 12. (Posted 9:17 a.m.)

12 dead in attacks near Baquba; 2 dead in Baghdad violence

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A dozen Iraqis were killed Monday morning in attacks in and around Baquba, north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said. Violence in Baghdad left two others dead.

Around 2 a.m., gunmen attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in Balad Ruz, about 30 miles (50 km) east of Baquba, killing six soldiers and wounding 15 others, according to an army official

A roadside bomb struck a minibus traveling near Khalis about 12 miles (20 km) north of Baquba, killing three and wounding nine others, a Baquba police said.

A car bomb targeting a convoy carrying a police chief detonated in the town of Bani Saad, about 12 miles (20 km) south of Baquba, killing one civilian and wounding 10 others, including two police, Baquba police said.

In Baghdad, gunmen shot and killed a barber inside his shop in the Jadida neighborhood on Monday, then planted a bomb outside the shop targeting bystanders. One person was killed and three others wounded in the explosion around 2 p.m., police said. (Posted 7:41 a.m.)

BP shuts down Prudhoe Bay oil operation, cutting 400,000 barrels a day

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- BP Exploration Alaska announced Monday it is shutting down its Prudhoe Bay oil operation for an indefinite period after finding "unexpectedly severe corrosion" on one line and a small oil spill.

The shut-down will chop production by 400,000 barrels a day or 8 percent of U.S. domestic production.

Crude oil prices began inching up as soon as the announcement was made, and analysts said consumers could expect an increase in gas prices at the pump.

"We apologize to the nation and to the state of Alaska for any adverse impact, however, this decision was made due to discovery of unexpectedly severe corrosion and a small spill from a crude oil transit pipeline," BP spokesman Daren Beaudo told CNN's "American Morning."

BP said a test called "smart pigging" showed 16 anomalies in 12 locations in an oil transit line on the eastern side of the oil field.

Beaudo said the leak, approximately four to five barrels of oil, had been contained. He said it would take a "few days" just to shut down production and could not say when production would resume.

Beaudo said BP would not resume pumping oil until it was environmentally safe to do so. (Posted 7:06 a.m.)

Lebanese officials: Israeli airstrike kills 7, wounds 1

BEIRUT (CNN) -- At least seven civilians were killed and one was wounded Monday in an Israeli airstrike near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanese Internal Security sources said.

The morning attack in al-Ghassaniye was reported to authorities around 6:30 a.m. (11:30 p.m. ET Sunday).

The strike came less than two days after Israel Defense Forces dropped leaflets on Sidon, urging civilians to evacuate.

In Tyre, CNN crews reported hearing "a series of heavy explosions" south of Tyre early Monday.

The Israeli airstrikes have destroyed the main road connecting Tyre to northern Lebanon, isolating the southern port city from the rest of the country, according to two high-ranking Lebanese Army officers.

A makeshift road in Qasmiye, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Tyre, was also destroyed, the officers said. The bombings have prevented a Doctors Without Borders aid convoy from reaching Tyre, and a spokesman for the group said they plan to ferry in the supplies on foot.

According to CNN's Brent Sadler, the city also sustained a heavy barrage of artillery fire, starting shortly before 6 a.m. (Posted 7:04 a.m.)

Lebanese death toll exceeds 715; Israel reports 95 deaths

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Lebanese Internal Security Forces reported Monday that 716 Lebanese, most of them civilians, have been killed in nearly four weeks of battles between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Israel Defense Forces said Monday the Israeli death toll stands at 95 -- 35 civilians and 60 soldiers.

Israeli ambulance services said more than 700 civilians and soldiers have been wounded, while Lebanese forces reported more than 2,700 Lebanese sustained injuries.

The Lebanese Army has said 27 soldiers have been killed and hundreds wounded since the onset of attacks.

The IDF said it has killed approximately 400 Hezbollah fighters in the military campaign. Hezbollah has consistently denied Israel's casualty figures, but has not offered its own.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Saturday that 232 people have been killed and 1,327 wounded in Gaza since June 25, when Israel launched its military campaign following the kidnapping of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit. (Posted 6:56 a.m.)

Chemical sickens 8 in Palestinian prime minister's office

RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- Eight people from the Palestinian prime minister's office in Ramallah fell ill Monday after opening an envelope filled with a chemical, Palestinian security sources said.

Four were taken to the hospital, the sources said.

No other details were immediately available. (Posted 6:55 a.m.)

Sri Lanka accuses Tamil rebels in death of 15 NGO workers

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- The Sri Lankan government Monday accused Tamil Tiger rebels in the deaths of 15 humanitarian aid workers and a number of civilians in Mutur, near the northeastern port city of Trincomalee.

The bodies -- 11 male and 4 female -- were found Sunday after government forces regained control of the city, following days of fighting with the rebels.

"We have detailed a special police team to conduct investigations into civilian killings," said Keheliya Rambukwella, a government minister and defense spokesman. "We have evidence to show that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were responsible for the massacre of the NGO (nongovernmental organization) workers and a large number of civilians."

Jeevan Thiagarajah, the head of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, said all 15 aid workers were shot at close range. He called their deaths, "murder." (posted 2:30 a.m.)

Suicide bomber kills 15 in Tikrit

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least 15 people were killed and 17 were wounded Sunday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral procession in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, police said.

The incident occurred at 8 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) in the ancestral home of ousted President Saddam Hussein, about 160 km (100 mi) north of Baghdad.

The bomber blew himself up at a hall in the Qadisiyah neighborhood in central Tikrit, where people had gathered to mourn the death of the father of two men, one of them a provincial council member and the other a police officer. (posted 2:30 a.m.)

Egyptian militant group rejects al Qaeda claims

(CNN) -- An Egyptian militant group vigorously denied weekend assertions by Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second-in-command, that the group's members had joined the ranks of the terrorist network.

In a statement posted on the Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya Web site Sunday, the group said "it absolutely rejects the claims in its entirety," calling them untrue.

Al-Zawahiri appeared in a videotaped message Saturday on the Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera.

He announced "good news to the Muslim nation about a big faction of the knights of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya uniting with al Qaeda." The union will "bring together the powers of the Muslim nation as one rank in the face of its enemies in the fiercest battle declared against the Muslim nation in its history." (posted 12:20 a.m)

Iraq bomb kills 3 U.S. troops

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three American soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southwestern Baghdad Sunday evening, a U.S. military statement said.

All of the soldiers were members the Army's Multi-National Division - Baghdad. The attack took place around 8 p.m. (12 p.m. ET). Since the start of the war, the U.S. military has reported 2,590 fatalities. (Posted 11 p.m.)

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