Suicide bombers kill at least 36

In the first bombing, at least four children died in the attack.
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The third Thanksgiving Day since U.S. troops entered Iraq was a grim one Thursday:
U Bombers killed at least 36 people in two different Iraqi cities. In one of the attacks, a suicide bomber targeted a crowd of children who were receiving toys from U.S. soldiers.
U U.S. officials announced the deaths of six more U.S. troops.
U No American dignitaries made surprise trips to dine with American soldiers, as they have on previous holidays.
U And the Iraqi government's top spokesman said violence would only increase until the Dec. 15 elections for a new National Assembly.
The first attack came in Mahmudiyah, in an area called the "triangle of death," as U.S. civil affairs specialists were inspecting the Mahmudiyah Hospital at around 10:30 a.m. in preparation for making improvements, said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a military spokesman.
Civil-affairs soldiers often bring toys for children when meeting with the community, Johnson said. As the soldiers stood outside the main entrance and began handing the toys out to children who had gathered around them, a suicide bomber approached the hospital and blew himself up.
At least 33 people died in that attack, including four children and two women, a military official in Mahmudiyah said. Another 23 people were injured, the official said.
Second explosion
The second explosion struck the main commercial district of Hilla, a town about 80 miles south of Baghdad, Thursday evening. At least three people died and 14 others were wounded.
A man with an Iraqi accent parked a car along the block and told a nearby shop owner that he would be back in 10 minutes, said Capt. Abu al-Harith, spokesman of Hilla's police headquarters. The man then disappeared into an alley way and the car exploded, al-Harith said.
Four of the U.S. deaths were soldiers who died Wednesday and two died Thursday -- bringing to 81 the number of Americans killed in an Iraq so far this month. With deaths averaging three a day, November may become one of the deadliest months this year.
Few details of the deaths were released. The military said in a statement three of those killed Wednesday died from gunshot wounds southwest of Baghdad. The fourth was killed by a car bomb in Hit, 85 miles west of Baghdad, the military said. The two who died Thursday were killed when a roadside bomb exploded as they were on patrol in southwest Baghdad.
According to the Pentagon, at least 2,110 soldiers have been killed since the March 2003 invasion.
Protection during elections
There are about 159,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, 20,000 more than usual to help protect the country during the Dec. 15 elections. This election is considered critical -- and one that could draw more violence -- because citizens will elect the country's first permanent government, which will serve four-year term.
Most of those troops received a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, either at their bases or as they headed out on patrol. The U.S. ambassador here, Zalmay Khalilzad, visited with troops, whom he praised for their sacrifice.
But there was no attention-grabbing visit similar to President Bush's surprise Thanksgiving trip in 2003 when he served turkey to soldiers.
Four governors -- Democrats Jennifer Granholm of Michigan and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Republicans Sonny Perdue of Georgia and Haley Barbour of Mississippi -- met with troops in Kuwait and are expected to travel to Iraq today.
A top Iraqi government spokesmen predicted more violence as the Dec. 15 vote nears. Liath Kubba said former supporters of Saddam Hussein have "regrouped to launch attacks in order to block the political process." They "are ready to do anything to derail the process," Kubba said.
That includes putting explosives into toys similar to those passed out by U.S. soldiers, Kubba said. He said Iraqi forces had found explosive-laden toys earlier this week. Separately, U.S. military spokesman Johnson said the Iraqis had found Beanie Babies with explosive devices in them.
"The insurgents will stop at nothing to draw children into the violence," Johnson said. "It's reprehensible."