US Denies Americans Detained in Shooting

Relatives of two brothers killed in a car bomb explosion grieve as others carry the coffins with their bodies in Baghdad's Karrada neighborhood, Iraq, Monday, Nov. 19, 2007. A car bomb exploded in Karrada Sunday, targeting an Iraqi official, but missed its target, killing at least 10 people and wounding 21, including two of the official's bodyguards, according to police and hospital officials. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) (Hadi Mizban - AP)

British-led forces plan to hand over security responsibilities to Iraqis in the predominantly Shiite province in mid-December, saying the levels of violence have dropped despite fears of escalating rivalries between Shiite militia fighters battling for power.

In another mostly Shiite province, Qadisiyah, U.S. and Iraqi troops detained about 70 suspected extremists and seized weapons caches, Maj. Gen. Othman al-Ghanimy said.

In other developments:

_ Iraq's chief prosecutor said a trial would begin "within days" for two former Health Ministry officials accused of letting death squads use ambulances and government hospitals to carry out kidnappings and killings and siphoning millions of dollars to the Mahdi Army, a case that will test the government's commitment to crack down on Shiite militias.

_ The head of Iraq's largest Shiite party, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, returned home from Iran after undergoing another round of chemotherapy there for lung cancer.

_ U.S. Embassy spokesman Philip Reeker, said several Iranians who have been detained by U.S. forces in Iraq were being allowed family visits starting Monday.

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Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.