BAGHDAD, Sept 8: Bombs killed 15 people in Iraq on Saturday including 10 in Baghdad, police said, as US President George W. Bush said he would address Americans next week to “lay out a vision” for the future US role in Iraq.

Police said a parked car exploded near a police station in Baghdad’s Shia area of Sadr City at dusk, when people were shopping. The blast killed 10 people and wounded 30, they said.

Another explosion at a market in Kufa, possibly caused by a roadside bomb, killed five people and wounded eight, police said.

The bombs were a reminder of Iraq’s security headaches despite a reduction in violence following Bush’s decision early this year to send 30,000 additional troops to Iraq.

Heading home from an overseas trip, Bush used his Saturday radio address to appeal for patience from opposition Democratic lawmakers demanding a timetable for a troop withdrawal.

The coming week could be a pivotal period in the increasingly unpopular war.

Starting on Monday, the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will give an assessment to the Democrat-controlled Congress on Iraq’s security and political progress under Bush’s troop “surge”.

Bush’s administration has to give its own report to Congress by Sept 15.

“I urge the members of Congress to listen to these two well-respected professionals — before jumping to any conclusions,” Bush said, referring to his top officials in Iraq.—Reuters