Gunfight Erupts Near Baghdad U.S. Embassy

By PAUL GARWOOD
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A heavy gunfight broke out Monday on a dangerous street in central Baghdad within blocks of the country's most fortified facilities, including the U.S. Embassy and interim Iraqi government headquarters. Five more American troops were killed in the volatile Anbar province.

A dawn attack on a domestic oil pipeline supplying fuel from northern Iraq to Baghdad and clashes that killed three militants in the country's turbulent west underlined the security difficulties ahead of Jan. 30 national elections.

Heavily armed insurgents have been emboldened by a spate of attacks across Iraq that have claimed more than 80 lives in recent days, mostly Iraqis working for the coalition or Iraqi national security forces.

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