US tanks gathered outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah today where mortar attacks by local insurgents have killed 12 Iraqi troops and wounded 10.
Fallujah had been relatively quiet recently after US soldiers were replaced by Iraqi troops under the command of General Mohammed Latif, who had served in Saddam Hussein's army.
Separately, insurgents also attacked a US military convoy, setting one truck on fire on a road in the northwestern Baghdad neighbourhood of Al-Khadra.
Overnight, saboteurs ruptured an oil pipeline linking Iraq's largest fuel refinery at Baiji, 200km north of Baghdad, to a power station.
In a separate development, three hostages freed from their Iraqi kidnappers by US-led forces have arrived in Rome after nearly two months in captivity.
The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, said their safe release was proof that his government's policies in Iraq were working.
A fourth Italian hostage was shot dead after Italy refused demands to withdraw its troops from Iraq.
A Polish national kidnapped last week was also rescued in the raid yesterday by US and Polish special forces that also resulted in the arrest of some of their captors.
