U.S., Iraqi Troops Launch Offensive Against Al-Qaeda

The new sweep, called Marne Avalanche, is the latest around Baghdad as part of the surge of nearly 30,000 additional U.S. troops sent to Iraq this year.

Meanwhile, twin suicide car bombs exploded within minutes of each other in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk today, killing at least 80 people and wounding around 150.

A Reuters camera operator said the explosions left bodies scattered on the street, set dozens of cars on fire, and trapped passengers on a bus, where they burned to death.

One blast collapsed part of the roof of the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

(Reuters, AFP, AP)