The new U.S. defense secretary says that during his unannounced visit Wednesday to Baghdad he discussed a possible U.S. troop increase in Iraq.
Robert Gates met with Iraqi officials and U.S. commanders, two days after he was sworn-in as defense secretary. Gates said U.S. officials must first consider how large any troop increase would be and what its mission would be.
Gates' visit coincided with Iraqi police saying that they had found 76 bodies in the capital. Police say many of the victims had been shot and some showed signs of torture. Car bombings killed at least 15 people in Baghdad.
The U.S. military said bombs killed two American soldiers. The military also announced the capture of a senior al-Qaida terrorist leader earlier this month in Mosul.
The military said the man was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and housed foreign fighters who carried out suicide attacks.
Meanwhile, the chief prosecutor at the genocide trial of Saddam Hussein has produced documents he says prove the former Iraqi leader ordered poison gas attacks on the Kurds in 1988.
One of the documents appears to show that Saddam ordered his military intelligence department to look into a possible chemical weapons strike on Iranians and Kurdish fighters.
Saddam and his six co-defendants are on trial for their alleged role in the 1988 Anfal campaign. Prosecutors say the campaigned resulted in the deaths of 180-thousand Kurds.
Robert Gates met with Iraqi officials and U.S. commanders, two days after he was sworn-in as defense secretary. Gates said U.S. officials must first consider how large any troop increase would be and what its mission would be.
Gates' visit coincided with Iraqi police saying that they had found 76 bodies in the capital. Police say many of the victims had been shot and some showed signs of torture. Car bombings killed at least 15 people in Baghdad.
The U.S. military said bombs killed two American soldiers. The military also announced the capture of a senior al-Qaida terrorist leader earlier this month in Mosul.
The military said the man was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and housed foreign fighters who carried out suicide attacks.
Meanwhile, the chief prosecutor at the genocide trial of Saddam Hussein has produced documents he says prove the former Iraqi leader ordered poison gas attacks on the Kurds in 1988.
One of the documents appears to show that Saddam ordered his military intelligence department to look into a possible chemical weapons strike on Iranians and Kurdish fighters.
Saddam and his six co-defendants are on trial for their alleged role in the 1988 Anfal campaign. Prosecutors say the campaigned resulted in the deaths of 180-thousand Kurds.