Explosions Rock Shiite City of Hilla, Iraq

The blast occurred at about 8:45 p.m. near the former Saddam Hussein mosque, said Polish Lt. Col. Robert Strzelecki. The city, 60 miles south of the capital, Baghdad, falls under the responsibility of Polish troops serving together with American forces in Iraq.

"We know that it was a strong explosion," Strzelecki said. "We know that there are Iraqi civilians killed and wounded."

No coalition troops were involved, he said.

The violence came two days after insurgents launched a coordinated wave of attacks across the country which left about 100 people dead. The attacks were aimed at undermining confidence in the interim Iraqi government, which is set to take power Wednesday.

Meanwhile, militants loyal to Abu Musab Zarqawi said Saturday they have kidnapped three Turkish workers and threatened to behead them in 72 hours, heightening tensions just ahead of a visit by President Bush to Turkey.

The latest in a series of abductions claimed by Zarqawi's movement -- which has beheaded two previous hostages, an American and a South Korean -- threatened to cast a shadow over a NATO summit opening in Istanbul Monday, where Bush is seeking the alliance's help in stabilizing Iraq.

Meanwhile, gunmen launched new attacks in the city of Baqubah, northeast of the capital -- the scene of fierce fighting in a surprise offensive launched by Zarqawi on Thursday that left 100 people dead. In central Baghdad, insurgents killed a U.S. soldier in an attack on a patrol, the military said.

The Arab television station Al Jazeera aired a video issued by the kidnappers, showing the three Turks identifying themselves in Turkish and telling their jobs in Iraq.

In a statement with the video, Zarqawi's group, Tawhid and Jihad, threatened to behead the men in 72 hours unless Turkish companies withdraw from Iraq, an Al Jazeera anchor said.

The station received the tape Saturday, an employee at the station told The Associated Press. The message did not say when or where the three were abducted. It appeared the deadline was Tuesday, but the message did not specify what time it runs out.

The three men disappeared two days ago, said a Turkish consular official in Baghdad who asked to be identified only by his surname, Gungor. He said he had no further information.

The abductions are likely to stoke anti-war sentiment in Turkey, where Bush is already extremely unpopular. Hours ahead of Bush's arrival in Ankara, police battled scores of protesters Saturday, eventually firing tear gas to disperse them.

NATO delegates announced a preliminary deal to give the new Iraqi government, led by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, help in combatting the militant insurgency -- mainly by training Iraqi security forces. The deal is expected to be approved during the summit, which begins Monday.

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