Baghdad ministry faces armed assault

At least two Iraqi police officers have been killed and several wounded in a surprise attack by insurgents on the heavily-guarded interior ministry building in Baghdad in Iraq. About 30 gunmen in 10 cars carried out the dawn raid using automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades. The attack lasted about 10 minutes and about five police officers were reported wounded. The attackers withdrew after the short clash. It was not clear if there were any casualties on their side. At the same time, in north-west Iraq, US and Iraqi forces have been involved in heavy fighting with suspected insurgents in the town of Talafar. The US military says it used helicopters to attack gunmen who were firing at troops from a mosque. The fighting in the western part of Talafar, which the US says is an insurgent stronghold, is now in its fourth day. Reports from Talafar describe the town as tense, with many of the residents having left. In other incidents, Associated Press, a news agency quoted Baghdad police saying that nine civilians were killed overnight or early Monday in several separate incidents. Meanwhile, four civilians were reported killed and four others were injured when several mortar rounds landed in the town of Baquba north of Baghdad. And two British soldiers have been killed in southern Iraq, reportedly when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb