U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Iraq Friday, to meet with U.S. and Iraqi troops and get an update on the training of Iraq's security forces.
Mr. Rumsfeld arrived in the northern city of Mosul and later went to Baghdad on the first trip to the country by a Bush administration official since Iraq's January 30th elections.
The defense secretary said training Iraqi security forces was the crucial task ahead and that in time, Iraqi forces will have the confidence and the capability to defeat the insurgency.
Mr. Rumsfeld said once the Iraqis prove they are ready for the job, coalition forces could "go home with honor."
Meanwhile, Iraqi police say gunmen opened fire on a crowd at a Baghdad bakery today, killing at least nine people.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
