All four attackers involved in the assault were killed by security forces in an operation that ended at around 5am local time on Saturday morning.
The United States provided extensive support to Iraqi security forces in counterterrorism operations against Al Qaeda, including helicopter transportation for many of the raids to detain insurgents.
Colonel Hiett was in charge of about 200 American troops who trained Colombian security forces in counternarcotics operations during the time his wife has admitted to smuggling drugs.
She has admitted to mailing heroin from Bogota to two accomplices in New York City last spring while her husband was in charge of about 200 American troops that trained Colombian security forces in counternarcotics operations.
Colonel Hiett was in charge of about 200 American troops that trained Colombian security forces in counternarcotics operations, which invariably lead to military engagements with the guerrillas who control much of the rugged regions of Colombia where drugs are processed for shipment.
The case of Colonel Hiett, who oversaw about 200 American troops charged with training Colombian security forces in counternarcotics operations, has been an embarrassment for the Army, which cleared him of all involvement in the smuggling scheme last year after a three-month investigation.
He dismissed with an epithet the assertion by some American authorities that 200,000 police and security forces were in operation in Iraq, saying that almost none of these forces had been properly trained or equipped.
I simply asked the U.S. ambassador whether her government would be able to provide some aerial intelligence that would assist the security forces in managing the operation.
Despite remaining the largest supplier of cocaine to the United States, Colombia has emerged as a top ally of the Bush administration, with hundreds of American military advisers welcomed there to assist Colombian security forces in counterinsurgency and antinarcotics operations.
Security forces in Rio de Janeiro have staged a massive operation to move into one of its largest shanty towns.
The de-facto leader of Myanmar is under growing pressure to halt "clearance operations" by security forces in Rakhine state.
