US troops in Iraqi attack

BAGHDAD – Days after the United States officially ended combat operations and touted Iraq’s ability to defend itself, American troops found themselves battling heavily armed militants assaulting an Iraqi military headquarters in the heart of Baghdad yesterday. The fighting killed 12 people and wounded dozens.It was the first exchange of fire involving United States troops in Baghdad since the August 31 deadline for formally ending the combat mission, and it showed that American troops remaining in the country were still being drawn into the fighting.The attack also made plain the kind of lapses in security that have left Iraqis wary of the drawdown and distrustful of the ability of Iraqi forces now taking up ultimate responsibility for protecting the country. (AP)