Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says some parts of the country will not be able to vote in the January 30 election because of violence.
But Mr. Allawi said he thinks only a few areas will be unable to vote. He made the comments after speaking by telephone with President Bush, who said the election for a national assembly must go ahead as scheduled.
Mr. Allawi also says he allocated $2.2 billion to more than double the Iraqi army to 150,000 troops and upgrade its weaponry. Security experts say there were about 300,000 soldiers in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein, which was dismantled after the U.S. led invasion.
Meanwhile, insurgents pressed on with attacks ahead of Iraq's election. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist network carried out a car bombing in Tikrit that killed six policemen. And at least nine other people were killed in two other attacks near Baghdad.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
