The emergency, first declared by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, gives the government power to impose curfews, ban traffic from cities, search neighborhoods and take other steps to curb insurgents, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported.

U.S. military officials announced Tuesday that two Marines and a sailor were killed Monday in Anbar Province, the Sunni stronghold that borders Syria.

On Tuesday, at least 14 Iraqis died in shootings, including 11 people gunned down in three separate incidents in Baquba, and three pilgrims on their way to a Shiite shrine in Karbala who were killed in Baghdad. Three of the dead in Baquba were police officers.

Police in Baghdad reported finding seven bodies at two locations.

In Mosul, two police officers were wounded in a shootout, while the gunman was killed.