Areas unsafe for polls: Allawi

Prime Minister Iyad Allawi acknowledged on Tuesday there were what he called “pockets” of Iraq that would be too unsafe for voting...

Prime Minister Iyad Allawi acknowledged on Tuesday there were what he called “pockets” of Iraq that would be too unsafe for voting in a January 30 election, even as guerrillas killed 20 people in attacks.

Allawi promised to spend $2 billion to beef up Iraq’s security forces to combat insurgents trying to derail the vote.

Earlier, a suicide car bomber killed seven policemen in Tikrit, and gunmen shot dead eight people in a minibus south of Baghdad.In Samarra, a bomb killed two Iraqi National Guards, police said. A second bomb killed a policeman and a third killed two more National Guards.

US President George W. Bush spoke to Allawi by telephone about preparations for the election and agreed it should go ahead as planned, US officials said. —Reuters

Debris found in Dal Lake could be from missile Pak fired during Op Sindoor

India55 min ago

Debris believed to be from a missile fired by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May has been found in Srinagar's Dal Lake. The debris has been handed over to the Air Force for further investigation. Sources say the target may have been a military installation in Srinagar, which is close to the lake. The make of the missile is yet to be determined.

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