A mortar attack on an Iraqi National Guard headquarters north of Baghdad on Tuesday killed or wounded at least 100 Iraqis, officials said, while U.S. troops battled insurgents in a major city west of the capital. Six mortar rounds fell on National Guard offices in an early morning attack in Mashahidan, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Baghdad, said Iraqi police and National Guard officers under condition of anonymity. There was no breakdown on the number of those killed and injured. The Iraqi National Guard has been a target of insurgents trying to undermine U.S.-led security efforts ahead of November national elections. In Ramadi, U.S. troops clashed with militants in the city's center with fierce fighting taking place near City Hall, witnesses said Tuesday. A Humvee was damaged when it was hit by a homemade bomb and rocket fire, according to witness Hatif Mahmoud. It was uncertain whether there were any U.S. casualties. In nearby Fallujah, the U.S. command said it destroyed several weapons storage sites and safe houses of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi late Monday in the militant bastion Fallujah.
