Rice surprises Baghdad

Baghad: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Saturday, arriving as American and Iraqi troops continue with a new crackdown against militants in the Iraqi capital.

Rice said the military operation was "off to a good start," adding, "the Baghdad security plan is just beginning to unfold and I think it is important to realise it was not ever intended to be a single day, but to ramp up over time."

She also said it was important for the Iraqi authorities to use the "breathing space" well.

However, in fresh violence in the northern city of Kirkuk, a double car bombing killed at least 10 people and wounded 60 in a crowded market, police sources said.

Rice is due to meet various officials during her visit, which comes amid claims that the US military had planned for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq by December 2006.

Declassified documents secured by the Washington-based National Security Archive show that in August 2002 the US military was so confident of success in Iraq that it predicted a withdrawal would occur by last December.

Instead of a withdrawal, there has been a troop surge with almost 150,000 US military personnel based in Iraq.

Rice is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem on Monday.