10 GIs, 8 civilians killed in Iraq

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer
54 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Ten U.S. troops were killed in Iraq on Wednesday, a major blow on the same day a high-level panel in Washington recommended gradually shifting U.S. forces from a combat to a training role.

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group released recommendations for changing course in the country, saying President Bush's policy in Iraq "is not working." The Iraqi government said the U.S. report did "not come as a surprise," and it agreed that Iraq must take the lead in its own security.

"The situation is grave, very grave in fact, and cannot be tolerated," Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh said on the pan-Arab satellite TV channel Al-Arabiya. "Absolute dependence on foreign troops is not possible. The focus must be on boosting the Iraqi security forces."

The U.S. military said in a statement that 10 Americans had died in four separate incidents but gave no further details, pending notification of relatives. In addition to the 10 casualties, the U.S. command said two U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday in Baghdad and a Navy sailor were killed in Anbar province on Monday.

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