Attacks surge in Iraq despite curfew
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-25 22:09

When the mourners were returning later from the cemetery, a car bomb ripped through an Iraqi military patrol that was escorting the mourners. At least two soldiers and one police commando were killed in the mayhem, police and army officials said. Six people, including civilians, were injured.

Two rockets exploded in the British Embassy compound in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone late Friday, causing minor injuries to two British workers, the U.S. military reported.

Police have found dozens of bodies — many of them cuffed and shot — in Baghdad and other areas since Wednesday's shrine bombing

The prime minister announced additional security measures Friday, including a ban on vehicles entering or leaving Baghdad, more patrols in tense neighborhoods, and a ban on carrying unauthorized weapons.

The government also extended the daytime curfew for a second day in Baghdad and the flashpoint provinces of Babil, Diyala and Salaheddin, where the shrine bombing took place. And the U.S. military said it would carry out additional security patrols for another 48 hours.

The curfew prevented many from reaching mosques Friday, but people were allowed to walk to neighborhood services, many of which were guarded by Iraqi police and soldiers. Preachers at several leading mosques urged their followers to maintain calm for the sake of the nation, and a number of demonstrations called for Shiite-Sunni unity.