In Iraq, a group of suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a government building in Baghdad on Thursday, taking hostages and killing a number of people before security forces regained control. Reports on the precise death toll varied, with some tallies as high as 24. The attack comes as the Iraqi army battles anti-government fighters in Anbar province. Agence France-Presse reports more than 900 people have died in violence in Iraq this month, more than three times the total for last January.