Developments in Iraq on Wednesday

• Guerrillas carried out a spate of raids in the city of Samarra on Wednesday, stealing weapons from a police station, blowing it up, and exchanging fire with police and U.S. troops. At least five Iraqis were killed, and the city police chief resigned.

The U.S. military said the number of American combat deaths in Iraq since the start of the war rose to 1,001; the latest reported was a soldier slain by small-arms fire in Baghdad on Tuesday. The total number who have died since March 2003 is 1,278, according to an Associated Press tally.

Underscoring security concerns, the Interior Ministry backed interim Prime Ministry Ayad Allawi's reported proposal to spread elections planned for Jan. 30 over up to three weeks in hopes of allowing people to vote safely. The decision ultimately belongs to Iraq's electoral commission; a top official there said Allawi had not mentioned the idea.

• Police clashed with gunmen in the northern city of Mosul, killing four militants. In Ramadi, a Sunni city west of the capital, fighting broke out between insurgents and U.S. troops. A hospital official said three civilians were killed.
• South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun made a surprise visit to northern Iraq, where 3,600 South Korean troops are stationed, his office said. And British Defense Minister Geoff Hoon met with British soldiers in the south of the country.