Iraq Insurgents Again Use 'Dirty' Attack

A man injured in a suicide bomber attack lies in Baghdad's al-Kindi hospital, Iraq, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007. A suicide bomber struck a funeral in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring another 15, as militants show increasing defiance to a major security operation in the capital. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) (Karim Kadim - AP)

It is believed that al-Sadr has ordered his forces not to challenge the security operation up to this point.

"Anytime you can find a political solution instead of a military one it is better," Caldwell said.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq may soon be shrinking.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said about 1,600 troops will leave Iraq in the coming months if Iraqi forces can secure the southern part of the country. Currently, Britain has about 7,100 soldiers in Iraq. Denmark also announced it would withdraw its 460-member contingent from southern Iraq by August, and Lithuania is "seriously considering" bring home its 53 troops.

The British decision, however, is not likely to seriously shift the power balance in Iraq. The British are stations in the mostly Shiite south and are not directly involved in the sectarian struggles in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.

A U.S. Marine was killed in fighting in the volatile Anbar province and a soldier was killed by gunfire in a neighborhood of Baghdad, the military said Wednesday.

The Marine was killed Tuesday during combat operations in the insurgent stronghold. The soldier was hit by small arms fire in a northern district of Baghdad on Tuesday, a statement said without giving further details.

At least 3,149 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.