Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Washington is considering a new United Nations mandate for troops in Iraq, amid continuing attacks on U.S. soldiers there.

Officials say a soldier in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division died early Saturday in central Baghdad, when troops guarding a bank came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1, more than 30 U.S. soldiers have been killed by hostile fire and troops have come under almost daily attack by Saddam Hussein loyalists.

With the mounting casualties and the enormous cost of rebuilding Iraq, Washington said Friday it is willing to consider a new mandate giving the United Nations a bigger role in peacekeeping and reconstruction in Iraq. Some nations, most recently Russia, have said they are willing to send peacekeepers and to help rebuild Iraq, but only with a United Nations mandate. A report in the Washington Post newspaper quotes experts who suggest that some countries might prefer to have their troops under U.N. supervision, rather than under the command of the Americans or the British.

And in another development, a prominent Shiite cleric told thousands of followers in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf Friday that the new Iraqi Governing Council is a puppet of the U.S. administration. Moqtada Sadr called on Iraqis to reject the Council and volunteer for an independent Shiite army.

Shiite Muslims make up about 60 percent of Iraq's population and their support would be vital to the success of any new Iraqi government.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.