Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says there are new military plans to defeat the insurgency gripping Iraqi cities, and he says his government will hold elections in January as scheduled.
Mr. Allawi made the remarks to Iraq's national assembly Tuesday, as car bombs hit U.S. military convoys in Mosul, Ramadi and Baghdad.
U.S. officials say three Iraqi civilians driving behind the Mosul convoy were killed when the blast destroyed their vehicle. Four coalition soldiers were wounded.
In Ramadi, a car exploded near another convoy, killing at least two Iraqi civilians.
Authorities say one U.S. soldier was killed in Baghdad and two others were wounded when their convoy hit a roadside bomb.
Separately in Mosul, police say three decapitated bodies of Iraqis have been found there since Sunday. A fourth body was found in Kirkuk late Monday.