Iraq: Shi'ites rage over US raid on 'mosque'

Shi'ite politicians raged at the United States and halted negotiations on a new government Monday after a military assault killed at least 16 people in what Iraqis claim was a mosque. Fresh violence erupted in the north, with 40 killed in a suicide bombing. The US military said in a statement that "no mosques were entered or damaged during this operation." It said the raid targeted a building used by "insurgents responsible for kidnapping and execution activities." The mission, American generals said, was developed by the Iraqis on their intelligence that a dental technician, kidnapped 12 hours earlier, was being held in what they called an office complex.