Washington, Aug. 21 : Searches in suspect Iraqi neighbourhoods by the American armed forces have become less aggressive in an attempt to win the hearts of Iraqis ravaged by years of war. The recent U. S. military success in quelling extremist violence in Baghdad has also helped change the way American troops do business in the Iraqi capital.

U. S. officials say the focus has shifted from killing or capturing the enemy to winning the hearts and minds of the people upon whom the enemy has depended.

Baghdad - Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Senior arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraqi state television reported.

Seniora's visit that will include talks on trade and oil, is the first to the conflict-torn country by a Lebanese leader in two decades.

Officials in Baghdad preparing for Seniora's visit told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa he would be accompanied by a political and economic delegation.

Iraq regards his visit as an important step towards rebuilding relations with Lebanon, they said. Baghdad is working to re-establish ties with its neighbours in the wake of five years of bloodshed.

Copenhagen - An Iraqi interpreter, who was recently granted asylum in Denmark, has opted to return to Iraq instead of divorcing one of his two wives, reports said Tuesday.

"It was a difficult decision for them, but now they have left to see how things are in Basra," lawyer Marianne Volund told the Nyhedsavisen newspaper.

The interpreter was among the 200 Iraqis including family members offered asylum when Denmark last year withdrew its troops from southern Iraq.

Iraqi interpreters and others who have served with foreign organizations or allied forces have often been targeted by militant groups.

Baghdad  - At least 9 people were killed and 40 others wounded when a car bomb ripped through a bus station in the district of Balad in Saladdin province, a police source said on Saturday.

The victims were believed to have been heading to the holy city of Karbala to mark the al-Ziyara al-Shaabaniya or the mid of Shaaban visit pilgrimage on Sunday.

"An explosive vehicle in central Balad went off last night, killing nine civilians and injuring 40 others," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, told Voices of Iraq (VOI).

Baghdad - A total ban on the movement of cars was imposed in Karbala Friday as part of a tight security control in the holy southern Iraqi city, days before the Sunday pilgrimage to commemorate the birth of the 12th Imam revered by Shiites.

"A total car ban is imposed on Karbala from today till the end of pilgrimage on Sunday. Security forces were deployed on all entrances of the city to ensure total security during the commemoration of the birth of Imam al-Mahdi," a spokesman of the security forces in Karbala told the independent Voices of Iraq news agency.