BAGHDAD— Iraqi militia fighters are being trained in Iran to build and use deadly armor-piercing roadside bombs and complex attack strategies against American forces, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell would not say how many militiamen had gone to Iran but said that questioning of fighters captured as recently as this month confirmed many had been in Iranian training camps.

"They do receive training on how to assemble and employ EFPs," Caldwell said, adding that fighters also were taught how to carry out attacks that use explosives followed by assaults with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.

EFP stands for explosively formed penetrator. The weapon causes great uneasiness among U.S. forces because it explodes with tremendous force and can penetrate heavily armored vehicles with a fist-size lump of molten copper. In January, U.S. officials said EFPs had killed at least 170 American soldiers in Iraq.

"We know that they are being in fact manufactured and smuggled into this country, and we know that training does go on in Iran for people to learn how to assemble them and how to employ them. We know that training has gone on as recently as this past month from detainees' debriefs," Caldwell said at a weekly briefing.

6 KILLED AS SPRING SNOWSTORM HITS UPPER MIDWEST

CHICAGO — Hundreds of airline flights were grounded Wednesday, a major league baseball game was called and six people were killed in accidents on icy roads as yet another spring snowstorm hit the upper Midwest.

North Dakota and South Dakota both measured about 7 inches, and up to 10 inches was possible in Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said.

"It's kind of flying sideways," hardware store owner Harvey Neu said in Menomonee Falls, Wis. "It's not like a gently falling snowfall. It's more of a get-out-of-my-face type of thing."

About 400 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport because of poor visibility, said city aviation spokesman Gregg Cunningham. The airport also had delays of one to 2 hours on both inbound and outbound flights, and delays at Midway Airport were about 30 minutes, he said.

"The storm system is moving north right now, but it may circle around and stay in the area," Cunningham said.

2 BOMBINGS IN ALGERIA KILLS 23

ALGIERS, Algeria — Bombs heavily damaged the prime minister's office and a police station Wednesday, killing at least 23 people and wounding about 160, the country's official news agency said. Al-Qaida's wing in North Africa claimed responsibility.

Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, who was unhurt, called the attack a "cowardly, criminal terrorist act" as he spoke to reporters outside his wrecked offices.

The attacks were a devastating setback for the North African nation's efforts to close the chapter on its Islamic insurgency that has killed 200,000 people. After years of relative calm, the al-Qaida affiliate recently has recently waged several smaller attacks in the oil- and gas-rich nation.

According to Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, a spokesman for al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were carried out by three suicide bombers in trucks packed with explosives. The spokesman said the bombers targeted three sites: the government headquarters in Algiers and the Interpol offices and a special police forces building in the suburb of Bab Ezzouar.

Belkhadem declined to say how many had been killed or wounded. The official APS agency said at least 23 people were killed and 160 wounded in the two attacks, but gave no breakdown. The other bombing targeted the police station of Bab Ezzouar, east of the capital, Algiers, on the road to its airport.

CHINESE, JAPANESE LEADERS PLEDGE CLOSER TIES

TOKYO — Strengthening a fragile detente, Japanese and Chinese leaders meeting in Tokyo pledged Wednesday to work together on North Korea, energy development and the environment, while defusing thorny disputes over history and territory.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is on the first visit to Japan by a Chinese leader in nearly seven years, building on a trip by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Beijing last year to salvage seriously damaged ties.

The two declared firm intentions to move forward on rebuilding relations, signing agreements on energy and the environment and issuing a joint statement that laid out a series of issues for the countries to cooperate on.

"We must build future-oriented and stable Japan-China relations," Abe said at a banquet in Wen's honor. "We want to expand our common interests through strengthening dialogue in various fields."

Wen said he expected his three-day visit to be a success.

SNOOP DOGG GETS 5 YEARS PROBATION

PASADENA, Calif. — A stone-faced Snoop Dogg pleaded no contest to felony gun and drug charges Wednesday.

The 35-year-old rapper, born Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr., agreed to five years' probation and 800 hours of community service. He faced charges of gun possession by a felon and sale or transportation of marijuana.

Snoop Dogg's recent arrests marked the end of a relatively long trouble-free stretch for the rapper. He has burnished his image in recent years with appearances in mainstream movies and by starting a youth football league.

He was arrested at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank Oct. 26 on suspicion of transporting marijuana. Police later found a gun at his home.