Three school children were among at least 13 people killed Wednesday in a series of attacks in the Iraqi capital.
Police say the children were headed to school when they were killed by a roadside bomb in central Baghdad. Shootings and three car bombs in Baghdad claimed 10 more lives, including those of six policemen.
The U.S. military also announced that U.S. soldiers killed five suspected terrorists in incidents south of Baghdad this week. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has confirmed the authenticity of a set of photographs aired on Australian television of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison.
Defense officials say the photos, which show graphic abuse, were among those investigated after the prison scandal two years ago. Those photos sparked widespread protests against U.S. presence in Iraq.