Iraq leader rallies support for pact

IRAQ

> Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday the Pentagon is developing plans to get troops quickly out of Iraq and into Afghanistan to battle a more confident and successful Taliban.

AFGHANISTAN

> U.S. troops in Afghanistan launched a barrage of artillery at insurgents attacking their position from inside Pakistan’s volatile tribal region on Sunday, in a cross-border strike coordinated with Pakistan’s military, NATO officials said Tuesday.

> Insurgents in western Farah province ambushed an Afghan army supply convoy on Monday, killing five soldiers and wounding five others. The military said five insurgents also died in the clash.

> China said Tuesday it would not send any troops to Afghanistan —- rejecting recent speculation that Beijing might support the international coalition there.

PAKISTAN

> Taliban militants attacked Pakistani tribal leaders Monday in the Bajur tribal region near the Afghan border, triggering a gunbattle and explosion that left a Taliban commander, two tribal guards and four elders dead. A Taliban spokesman said seven other elders were captured.