IRAQ \ Developments

The latest developments in Iraq:

U.S. helicopters blasted rooftops in a Shiite neighborhood before dawn Friday as American troops battled gunmen on the ground, killing at least eight by the military’s count. Shiites claimed some civilians died and radicals castigated Iraq’s government as being too weak to rein in the Americans.

Bush should forget about forging a democracy in Iraq and focus on stabilizing the country and combating Islamic extremists, Michigan’s top congressional Republican on foreign intelligence said Friday. Rep. Peter Hoekstra said Iraq’s tribal, Islamic culture is not receptive to democratic ideals. He said Bush should consider other ways to control Iraq, whose government, he said, is floundering under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Source: Combined dispatches