An Unfortunate Contrast

According to ABC News, there have been two gunfights today in that dangerous WMD-owning rogue state which recently got democratised. First, there's this report of a gunfight involving Australian troops:

In a statement, Defence Force spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan says the soldiers came across three men carrying guns during a patrol of the city on Sunday.

Brigadier Hannan says rather than engage in a street battle, the patrol broke off the contact after a few shots were fired.

And then there's this report of a gunfight involving somebody else's troops:

Lieutenant Christopher Hart, of the 82nd Airborne Division, says his unit, which is occupying the school, used smoke to try and disperse a crowd of 100 to 200 people who came down the street towards them chanting.

But US troops opened fire after two men carrying AK-47s suddenly came from behind the crowd on a motorcycle and started shooting at the school.

"They had AK-47s and, as they drove by, they opened up on the near side of this building here," he said.

"What happened was we engaged personnel on the motorcycle."

He says some people in the crowd also fired at the US troops.

He says he is not sure how many people were killed but estimates the death toll at between seven and 10.

[Local people, including the head of the main hospital in the town, say at least 13 people were killed and about 75 wounded.]