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BAGHDAD (AP) -- Roadside bombers killed seven U.S. troops in one day, four of them in a single blast near Baghdad, and three other soldiers died of other causes - raising to at least 30 the number of American soldiers killed this week. Explosions aimed at U.S. patrols that kill several troops at once are common, but the recent frequency of such large-scale attacks may signal militants are using larger bombs or explosively formed penetrators, known as EFPs, as they fight back against a series...

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BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union leaders agreed Saturday on the key points of a treaty meant to strengthen the bloc's foreign policy role and eliminate unwieldy bureaucracy.

The treaty would replace the constitution that Dutch and French voters rejected two years ago. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the summit host, said the drafting of the treaty would begin soon and all countries should ratify it by June 2009.

It would allow more decisions to be taken by a majority, rather than unanimous, vote, removing the threat of national vetoes. The European Parliament and national assemblies would get more say over decision-making, strengthening the EU's democratic credentials. The EU's executive arm - the European Commission - would be trimmed from 27 to 17 seats. The post of EU president - with a maximum term of five years - will be created to replace the system of rotating national leaders into the job. And the role of EU foreign policy chief will be strengthened, to give Europe a bigger voice in the world.

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BAGHDAD - Roadside bombers killed seven U.S. troops in one day, four of them in a single blast near Baghdad, and three other soldiers died of other causes - raising to at least 30 the number of American soldiers killed this week.

Explosions aimed at U.S. patrols that kill several troops at once are common, but the recent frequency of such large-scale attacks may signal militants are using larger bombs or explosively formed penetrators, known as EFPs, as they fight back against a series of U.S. military operations.

The military has staged a series of counterattacks this week on roadside bomb factories and insurgent strongholds where stockpiles of explosives have been uncovered.

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BAGHDAD ? Roadside bombers killed seven U.S. troops in one day, four of them in a single blast near Baghdad, and three other soldiers died of other causes ? raising to at least 30 the number of American soldiers killed this week.

Explosions aimed at U.S. patrols that kill several troops at once are common, but the recent frequency of such large-scale attacks may signal militants are using larger bombs or explosively formed penetrators, known as EFPs, as they fight back against a series of U.S. military operations.

The military has staged a series of counterattacks this week on roadside bomb factories and insurgent strongholds where stockpiles of explosives have been uncovered.

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BAGHDAD (AP) -- Roadside bombs killed seven American troops in Iraq on Saturday, including four in a single strike outside Baghdad, the military said, as U.S. and Iraqi troops captured two senior al-Qaida militants in northern Iraq.

Separately, a predawn operation by U.S. forces working with Iraqi informants in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City netted three other militants suspected of ties to Iran, the military said.

The Americans have accused Iran of providing mainly Shiite militias with training and powerful roadside bombs known as explosively formed projectiles, or EFPs, that have killed hundreds of U.S. troops in recent months.

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