We need US troops, says Iraq's new premier

Iraq’s new prime minister has made his first address to the nation, saying a rapid US withdrawal from the country would be a “major disaster” because Iraqis were not ready to handle their own security.

Iyad Allawi’s call for improved Iraqi security and an end to guerrilla attacks came as unknown assailants attacked a US Army patrol in Baghdad near the Shiite district of Sadr City, killing five US soldiers and wounding five others.