Iraq three years on - and the war still rages

VIOLENCE continued across Iraq yesterday on the eve of the anniversary of the US-led invasion.

American troops clashed with gunmen north and west of Baghdad while insurgents lobbed a mortar round into the holy city of Karbala where a million Shi'ite pilgrims assembled for a major religious commemoration.

Iraqis in the capital expressed unease with the increasing violence, which they said they hoped would have ended by now.