The U.S. Defense Department says it has notified 35,000 more troops to prepare to deploy to Iraq as soon as August.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday the replacement forces will allow commanders to maintain a buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq through the end of the year if needed.

US soldier patrols area in central Baghdad, 25 Apr 2007

Whitman said 10 army units, known as combat brigades, have been told to deploy between August and December.

Earlier this year, President Bush ordered 30,000 additional troops to Iraq for a security crackdown. U.S. officials say military leaders will decide in September whether the buildup has been successful and if it should continue.

In violence Tuesday, Iraqi police say a car bomb killed at least 16 people at a market in the Shi'ite city of Kufa.

Police say the blast wounded at least 70 other people.

The U.S. military says a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad killed two American soldiers and wounded another. Iraqi police have recovered 30 bodies in Baghdad since Monday.