Meanwhile dozens more Iraqis have died in another bloody weekend. In Baghdad an Iraqi general and two colleagues was assassinated on Sunday. The general was a senior commander of the Iraqi National Guard. On Saturday a car bombing outside a hospital south of Baghdad killed 18 and wounded 25 more. On Friday a suicide car bombing near a Shiite mosque northeast of Baghdad killed 13. That same day a Shiite bakery in the capital was attacked leaving nine dead. In Basra, a top judge was assassinated as he headed to work on Saturday. And at least five US troops died over the weekend. Over 1450 US soldiers have now been killed in Iraq since the invasion 23 months ago.