Three More U.S. Servicemen Die in Iraq

Three more American servicemen have died in Iraq, the U.S. military said Thursday, putting December on track to be among the deadliest months of the year. The surge in U.S.combat deaths comes as Washington searches for new political and military strategies to contain the flood of violence, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates traveled to Baghdad talking to soldiers and Iraqi officials about the possibility of bolstering U.S. troop strength in Iraq.

— Associated Press

Defense Secretary Gates Meets With Iraqis On Military Aid

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Defense Secretary Robert Gates traded ideas with Iraqi leaders Thursday about boosting military assistance for the embattled government and warned Iraq’s neighbors that the U.S. will be a presence in the Persian Gulf for a long time. But on the second day of a visit to the war zone, the new Pentagon chief would not answer the key question on the minds of many, including U.S. troops: Will he recommend a short-term increase in the number of American forces in Iraq?

— Associated Press

In Nigeria, Armed Men Attack Two Oil Facilities

LAGOS, Nigeria — Armed men attacked two foreign oil facilities in southern Nigeria yesterday, and both facilities shut down production following the assaults in the restive, oil-rich region. Royal Dutch Shell PLC, which came under attack earlier this week, began evacuating families of foreign workers, citing worsening security. Before dawn yesterday, about a dozen gunmen attacked a Total SA pumping station, killing three security guards. The company shut the 40,000-barrel-a-day facility to “ensure the total protection of the site,” spokesman Paul Floren said by phone from Paris. Gunmen later occupied a facility owned by the Italian company Eni SpA. In a statement on its Web site, Eni said no injuries or damages were reported at the Tebidaba oil-pumping station, which shut down production. Eighteen local workers were in the facility when the attack occurred.

— Associated Press

Italian Right-To-Die Author Is Disconnected From His Respirator

ROME — “Let me die,” Piergiorgio Welbywrote while paralyzed and confined to his bed by muscular dystrophy and unable to eat, speak, or breathe on his own. A doctor carried out his wish, disconnecting Welby’s respirator — and with that move, reignited the debate over the right to die in predominantly Roman Catholic Italy, where euthanasia is illegal and can be punished by up to 15 years in prison. Welby died late Wednesday at age 60 after suffering from the degenerative disease since his teenage years. Three months earlier, he had pleaded with Italy’s president to be allowed to die.

— Associated Press

Somalia’s Islamic Leader Declares War

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia is in “a state of war,” the country’s Islamic leader said yesterday, as his fighters battled U.N.-backed government troops for control of strategic villages despite an agreement by both sides to return to peace talks. At least 100 people have been killed. The clashes threaten to spiral into a major conflict in this volatile region, sucking in Ethiopia and its bitter rival Eritrea.

— Associated Press