U.S. Says Troop Buildup Nearly Complete

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Twin car bombings struck intersections near Baghdad's most revered Shiite shrine Wednesday. The military said the buildup of some 30,000 extra U.S. troops aimed at stopping such attacks is nearly complete but it could take up to two months for the newly arrived reinforcements to be fully effective.

That would come just weeks before Gen. David Petraeus is due to report to President Bush and Congress in September on the security operation amid Democratic-led calls to start bringing American troops home from an increasingly unpopular war.

The military also announced that four more U.S. soldiers were killed. The deaths raised to at least 3,498 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the start of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The nearly simultaneous blasts in the Kazimiyah district in northern Baghdad occurred dangerously close to the golden-domed mosque that holds the remains of the Imam Moussa Kadhim, one of the 12 major Shiite saints. At least seven people were killed, according to police officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6689519,00.html