A suicide bomber rammed a truck with explosives into two police cars in Iraq today and killed at least seven policemen.
Eight civilians were wounded in the attack outside a restaurant near the northern Iraqi town of Baiji.
Last night, US President George W. Bush ordered gradual troop reductions in Iraq but insisted the US military role there will stretch beyond his presidency.
Mr Bush - in a televised address from the White House - adopted recommendations by his top commander in Iraq for a limited withdrawal of up to 30,000 troops by July.
US President George W. Bush delivers his address on the situation in Iraq from the White House last night
But Mr Bush said the United States would require a major involvement in Iraq for years to come and that the Baghdad government needed "an enduring relationship with America".
That assessment will make Mr Bush's speech an even tougher sell with anti-war Democrats in control of Congress and with the large majority of Americans opposed to his Iraq policy.
"Because of the measure of success we are seeing in Iraq, we can begin seeing troops come home," Mr Bush said after General David Petraeus delivered two days of congressional testimony.
The president acknowledged Americans' frustration with the war but insisted progress was being made. His 18-minute speech was the centrepiece of a public relations offensive aimed at blunting demands for a faster, wider withdrawal from Iraq .
The partial pullout will roll back troop strength from the current 169,000 to around the same levels the United States had in Iraq before Mr Bush ordered a major buildup in January.
Mr Bush also acknowledged that the Iraqi government "has not met its own legislative benchmarks," and called on it to do more to achieve national reconciliation.
He said US engagement in Iraq would continue past the end of his term in January 2009.
"This vision for a reduced American presence also has the support of Iraqi leaders from all communities. At the same time, they understand that their success will require US political, economic, and security engagement that extends beyond my presidency," he said.