Iraqi Soldiers Killed In Rocket Attack

7 July 2004 -- The U.S. military has said five Iraqi soldiers were killed in a rocket attack last night on their base near Taji.
The city north of Baghdad is the site of a major U.S. Army base and Iraqi security facilities and has become a bastion of anti-American sentiment.

Earlier yesterday, nine people were killed and 37 wounded in a suicide car bomb in Khales, about 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad.

This morning, several mortar rounds rocked Baghdad's Green Zone compound that houses Iraqi government offices and the British and U.S. embassies. Reports say several people were injured.

In Kirkuk, masked gunmen attacked a police checkpoint early today, wounding four people.

The United States military also said seven U.S. Marines have been killed in the past two days during operations in Iraq's western Al-Anbar Province.

The military said four Marines were killed on 6 July while conducting "security and stability operations," while three died on 5 July.

Meanwhile, Iraq's interim government has said it will announce today emergency measures to help the authorities battle guerrilla fighters.

Interim officials have said the measures are expected to allow the government to impose curfews and give security forces increased powers to set up checkpoints and search and detain suspects.

(RFE/Reuters/AP/AFP)