U.S. and Iraqi forces sealed off roads to an insurgent stronghold south of Baghdad on Wednesday and insurgents bombed two bridges in an apparent bid to hinder troop movement as pro-government forces tried to retake control of the region ahead of national elections. On Tuesday, Iraq's Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said the tempo of attacks against insurgent strongholds would increase but acknowledged that the security challenge was a "source of worry." "I don't want to deny the impact of the security situation nor minimize the size of the challenges we face," Allawi said during a speech in Baghdad. On Wednesday, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Guardsmen were sealing off the roads leading to Qasir town in the area of Youssifiyah, preventing anybody from going in or out. A day earlier, insurgents detonated a car bomb in Youssifiyah, (20 kilometers) 12 miles south of the capital, as the Iraqi National Guard was conducting raids, killing one civilian and wounding 13 Iraqis. Two explosions _ one a car bomb another a roadside bomb _ hit two bridges in the area Wednesday, residents said, in an apparent attempt by insurgents to affect the movement of Iraqi and U.S. forces.
