Iraqi families have begun returning to the city of Fallujah, one day after U-S and Iraqi officials reached a deal with local leaders to try to defuse tensions there.
Under the deal, the Marines will not begin further military offensives against the city, if insurgents turn in their illegal weapons. In the holy city of Najaf, mediation efforts are continuing in a bid to peacefully resolve a standoff between coalition forces and outlawed Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
In Baghdad, a U.S military official said a mortar attack on a prison in the capital has killed at least 21 and wounded more than 100. Preliminary reports said all the casualties are prisoners.
(Information for this story is provided by AP, AFP)