U.S. troops deaths in Iraq top 1,500

By TODD PITMAN
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq has topped 1,500, an Associated Press count showed Thursday after the military announced the deaths of three Americans, while car bombs targeting Iraqi security forces killed at least three people in separate attacks.

Two suicide car bombs exploded outside the Interior Ministry in eastern Baghdad Thursday, killing at least two policemen and wounding five others, police Maj. Jabar Hassan said. Officials at nearby al-Kindi hospital said 15 people were injured in the blasts, part of the relentless wave of violence since the Jan. 30 elections.

A car bomb also targeted a police convoy exploded in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of the capital, killing one civilian and wounding three, said Hussein Ali of Baqouba Hospital.

Amid the violence, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi extended the state of emergency, first announced nearly four months ago, for another 30 days until the end of March. The order remains in effect throughout the country, except in northern Kurdish-run areas.

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