IRAQ - Dec 2 - Mortar Rounds Kill 2 In Baghdad.

Mortar rounds explode in five places in central Baghdad, killing two Iraqis and wounding 14 in disparate attacks that underscore the capital's vulnerability as the January elections approach. The attacks, breaking a period of relative calm in Baghdad, coincided with continuing violence in other parts of the country. In the north, two American soldiers and two Iraqi national guardsmen were wounded when a car bomb exploded at a national guard checkpoint near Bayji, said Master Sgt Robert Cowens, a spokesman for the 1st infantry Division. Cowens also said that the director of the Bayji Bank was kidnapped by militants in front of a city building. And in the central Iraqi town of Balad Ruz, three Iraqis were killed when insurgents in a white sedan opened fire with rifles as they passed. In Falluja, the number of US servicemen killed has risen to 71 as sporadic fighting continues there following the American-led offensive to root out insurgents last month, military officials said. That toll is 20 higher than the last official report on Nov 18. In Baghdad, the first mortar struck a construction site in the Arasat district at about 10:30am., killing a construction worker and wounding seven people, Interior Ministry officials said. US and Iraqi soldiers quickly cordoned off the area, where a construction fence was shredded and a crater could be seen. Another mortar struck the Abu Nawas Theater, where a symposium on the elections was about to take place, killing a security guard, wounding three and leaving four cars in flames. Almost simultaneously, more rounds exploded near Baghdad Technology University and outside a hotel in the busy Karrada district, wounding four people but doing no serious damage. About 30 minutes later another round of mortars was fired from a location just off Sadoun Street and exploded in the fortified Green Zone, sending thick black plumes of smoke into the air but wounding no one, military officials said. Last week mortars killed four Nepalese employees of a British security company in the Green Zone. Attacks on the Green Zone have become common, but the target of the other mortars was not clear. The construction site that was struck is near the offices of the Egyptian-owned Iraqna cellphone company. Eight of the company's workers were kidnapped in September, but that incident appeared to be motivated by money, not politics, officials said. Some insurgents in Falluja appear to have blamed Iraqna when they lost all cellular phone service after the American military jammed phone communications during their offensive in the city last month. An insurgent commander told a reporter two weeks ago that he believed the failure of the cellular system in the Falluja area was an indication that Iraqna was cooperating with the US military. However, it is far from clear that the mortars, which are highly inaccurate, were aimed at Iraqna. The ministries of planning and environment are less than a block away from where the mortar struck, and the Japanese Embassy is close, too. The attacks came on the day a delegation of US senators was visiting, and underlined once again how little control the US military or Iraqi security forces have. The continuing violence has raised questions about the viability of the elections scheduled for Jan. 30. Last week, a number of prominent Sunni Arab and Kurdish political leaders, citing the continuing violence, urged that the elections be delayed for six months. But leaders of the country's majority Shiite community have insisted that the vote take place as scheduled, and the interim government here has said it has no plans to defer them. On Dec 2 the Pentagon announced that it would increase its troop strength here by about 12,000 by January, mainly to help bolster security before the elections. The increase will be achieved by deferring the departure of several units now in Iraq, and adding two fresh army battalions for a four-month tour. In Baghdad, Sen Joseph Biden, a member of the American delegation, told reporters at a news conference that the increase was welcome but long overdue, and that the Bush administration's handling of the issue had angered him.