Residents gather at the scene of a car bomb blast in Baghdad, Iraq, 06 May 07

An al-Qaida affiliate in Iraq has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed six U.S. soldiers and a Russian journalist.

The Islamic State of Iraq says it was responsible for a roadside bomb that blew up a vehicle carrying the soldiers and the journalist Sunday in Diyala province, north of Baghdad.

On Monday, two suicide car bombers killed at least 20 people outside the city of Ramadi.

Police blamed al-Qaida in Iraq for the attacks on a market and police checkpoint. In other violence, a mortar attack killed five people in southern Baghdad.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross says it is increasing its operations in Iraq to help hundreds of thousands of people affected by what it says is an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis.

The Red Cross is seeking $29 million in additional funds to pay for the expanded relief work.

In other developments, the U.S. military says coalition forces detained 40 local nationals and discovered a cache of terrorist supplies during an operation on Sunday north of the town of Mahmudiyah.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.