The U.S. military in Iraq says six American soldiers were killed in separate incidents over the past two days. The military said four soldiers were killed and two others wounded in a roadside bomb explosion Thursday in eastern Baghdad, where two bombs went off as the soldiers were returning from a search operation. The second explosion caused the U.S. casualties.

The U.S. military says American and Iraqi forces have arrested 140 insurgent suspects in and around Baghdad.

The United States is establishing a new foreign military command to focus on Africa. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the creation of the Africa Command during testimony before the U.S. Congress on February 6.

The U.S. military says the much-awaited security "surge" operation in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has begun.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates today said that he will recommend to President George W. Bush increasing the size of the U.S. military by 92,000 troops over the next five years.

Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid sent a letter to President Bush calling on him to reject plans to escalate the civil war with additional troops and stating "it is time to begin to move our forces out of Iraq..."

"Surging forces is a strategy that you have already tried and that has already failed. Like many current and former military leaders, we believe that trying again would be a serious mistake.

U.S. and Afghan noncommissioned officers toured the Pakistan Army's Junior Leader Academy in Shinkiari, Pakistan, Dec. 28 during the second day of an exchange program tour.

President Bush is spending the long Christmas weekend in seclusion with his family at Camp David - the presidential mountain retreat. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports on Christmas Eve, he paid tribute to the men and women of the U.S. military.

New U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he is preparing to give President Bush an assessment of the situation in Iraq based on his meetings with U.S. military and Iraqi leaders in Baghdad. Gates wrapped up a three-day trip to Iraq on Friday, but did not say whether he would recommend a short-term increase in U.S. troop levels to help stem growing sectarian violence.

Robert M. Gates was sworn in as the nation's 22nd secretary of defense in a ceremony at the Pentagon here today.

After President Bush introduced Gates as "an experienced and thoughtful leader," Vice President Richard B. Cheney administered the oath of office. Gates was officially sworn in at the White House earlier today in a private ceremony.

The Defense Department bid farewell to the 21st secretary of defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld, in a full honors parade at the Pentagon today. President Bush; Vice President Richard B. Cheney; Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and many other DoD leaders joined employees and servicemembers to honor Rumsfeld, who has led the department for six years.

Iraqi security officials say a car bomb blast in a Shi'ite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad has killed at least 10 people and wounded 25 others.