U.S. says bin Laden ordered Iraq plots

WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden ordered al-Qaida's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to form a cell in 2005 to plot attacks outside of Iraq and make the United States his main target, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

Citing newly declassified intelligence, Fran Townsend, President Bush's adviser for homeland security, said the information backs the administration's assertion that U.S. troops must stay in Iraq for now to prevent it from becoming a "terrorist sanctuary."

2 Marines killed in Anbar province

BAGHDAD -- The U.S. military said today two Marines were killed in combat in Anbar province.

The Marines, who died Tuesday, were assigned to Multinational Forces-West, which is responsible for the sprawling, Sunni-dominated province.

100 slain in Iraq, 25 by car bomb

BAGHDAD -- A car bomb ripped through a crowded market in a Shiite-dominated neighborhood Tuesday, killing 25 people and injuring 60.

The victims were among 100 people reported slain Tuesday, including 33 unidentified bodies recovered in Baghdad who were apparent victims of sectarian death squads.

Constitutional panel at odds

Iraqi legislators missed a deadline to propose constitutional revisions promised to the embittered Sunni Arab minority driving the insurgency against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government and U.S.-led forces in Iraq.

A multiparty committee had been expected to submit a report Tuesday after six months of deliberations.

But members were unable to reach agreement on key issues, including the allocation of revenue among various regions.

Action on constitutional reforms is one of a series of benchmarks U.S. officials have set for continued support.

Iraqi children suffering, U.N. says

GENEVA -- Iraqi children are caught in a rapidly worsening tragedy as violence tightens its grip on their homeland, the U.N. Children's Fund said today.

Four million Iraqis -- nearly 15 percent of the population -- have fled their homes since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, UNICEF said. Half the refugees are children.

Even though international aid has been strong, the needs of Iraqi children are quickly outstripping the help, the agency said.

It appealed for donations of $41.8 million for the next six months to boost assistance in Iraq and to Iraqi refugees living in neighboring countries.

Also

Iraqi and Afghan translators, frequently in danger because of their association with Americans, would get more U.S. visas to leave the country under legislation passed by the House on Tuesday.

Seattle Times news services