LDT: "Firmly replanting himself back on the political scene."


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LOU DOBBS: Michael Ware tonight reports from Baghdad on the rising military challenges facing our troops. We turn first to Ed Henry -- Ed.


Insurgents in Iraq stepped up their attacks on our troops. The number of our troops killed in the Baghdad area has increased sharply since U.S. reinforcements began to arrive back in February.

Michael Ware now reports from the Iraqi capital -- Michael.

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MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, it's been a tumultuous three days here in Iraq politically and militarily. Over this Easter weekend, 10 U.S. service personnel were killed in five separate attacks involving roadside explosions, small arms fire, and indirect fire from mortars or rockets.

At the same time, we have seen violence spreading out of the capital, Baghdad, as there's been an assault on the rebel stronghold of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in a city just south of the capital. At the same time, we see the same anti-American cleric calling for a mass demonstration to mark the fourth anniversary of the war and to oppose U.S. forces. And that's precisely what we saw today, as what Iraqi police officials in the holy city of Najaf said were tens of thousands of his supporters taking to those streets.

This is very much an attempt by Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been virtually in hiding for the past seven weeks, firmly replanting himself back on the political scene -- Lou.

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DOBBS: Michael Ware from Baghdad.