Clashes between al-Qaida and rival Sunnis break out near Baghdad

Suspected al-Qaida fighters killed two Iraqi soldiers, then used their Humvees to kill at least 18 rival Sunnis south of Baghdad, police said, a brazen example of the challenges still facing Iraqis despite a lull in violence. Several Iraqi refugees, meanwhile, returned home to the capital from Syria, saying they felt confident about the dramatic drop in the level of sectarian attacks.