IRAQ ROUNDUP \ Latest developments

Najaf turmoil: The U.S.-appointed governor of Najaf accused radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday of failing to honor a deal to end fighting as U.S. soldiers clashed with Shiite gunmen. Al-Sadr's fighters said they killed one Iraqi policeman and captured another during an exchange of fire in Kufa. Three Iraqis were injured in clashes, hospital officials said. There were no reports of any U.S. casualties. Gov. Adnan al-Zurufi complained al-Sadr had done little to stop his fighters from brandishing their weapons in public or to send home militiamen not from this city -- key parts of the agreement he struck with Shiite leaders to end seven weeks of fierce fighting around Najaf and Kufa. The militia accused the Americans of shooting first. Coalition officials said U.S. soldiers were attacked by rocket propelled grenades and fired back. Neither side released any casualty figures.
Marines killed: Three Marines were killed Saturday in fighting west of Baghdad, pushing the number of U.S. deaths to more than 800. The three died in action in Anbar province, which extends from just west of Baghdad to the Syrian and Jordanian borders, the U.S. command said. No further details were released, the U.S. reported.
Soldiers die: The U.S. military reported two service member deaths Saturday -- one soldier from the Stryker Brigade who died Friday from non-hostile causes in northern Iraq and the other soldier from the 81st Brigade Combat Team who was killed Tuesday in a mortar attack south of Baghdad. Nine soldiers were wounded in the mortar attack, a military statement said.
Cabinet selections: A Shiite politician chosen by the Iraqi Governing Council as the next prime minister held consultations with U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to pick a Cabinet to take over from the U.S.-led coalition, officials said. The names of two key Kurdish politicians and a French-educated Shiite economist were floated for key Cabinet posts in the government of prime minister-designate, Iyad Allawi, according to the officials familiar with the deliberations. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said current Governing Council leader Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, a Sunni from the northern city of Mosul, was a front-runner for the ceremonial job of president. There have been reports that another Sunni, former foreign minister and Governing Council member Adnan Pachachi, was the likely candidate for the presidency.
Humvee hit: A loud explosion was heard in the eastern city of Fallujah and residents said an American Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb during a patrol. Saffa Bassem, 25, said he saw billowing smoke coming from the vehicle. There were no reports of casualties. Fallujah, west of Baghdad, had been a center of the anti-U.S. rebellion in Sunni Muslim regions of the country.
Associated Press
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