Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld awards a Purple Heart to Army Sgt. Chris Scott of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, as he recuperates in a medical facility at Mosul Airfield, Iraq, on Dec. 24, 2004. Rumsfeld is in Iraq to meet with troops and thank them for their service and their sacrifice during this holiday season. DoD photo by Master Sgt. James M. Bowman, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
BAQUBA (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked two police stations on Friday around Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, where the anti-American insurgency has been strong, witnesses said.
Fighting was still going on at the Mafraq police post on the outskirts of the religiously mixed town city. Another station south of the town was attacked earlier in the morning.
The gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades and mortars to hit the stations, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Witnesses said U.S. troops were also seen fighting near the Mafraq post.
U.S. and Iraqi troops frequently come under attack in Baquba, an agricultural center between Baghdad and the Iranian border.
U.S. forces arrested scores of people in the province earlier this month whom the military said had ties with the insurgency.
A man covers his face as he stands near a burning car in Mosul. Local witnesses said gunmen attacked the car killing its occupants. Rumsfeld accused the press of reporting mainly bad news most of the time from Iraq(AFP/File/Mujahed Mohammed)