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(AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney arrives in
Australia on Thursday to thank one of Washington's staunchest
supporters of the increasingly unpopular Iraq war - an ally that
has become a rarity by offering more, not fewer, troops for Iraq
and Afghanistan.

      Iraq and other security issues are expected to dominate Cheney's
three-day visit and talks with Prime Minister John Howard, who is
under increasing political pressure to set an exit strategy for
Australia's 1,400 troops in and around Iraq.

      The focus intensified Wednesday when the British government and
other allies announced plans to start withdrawing forces from Iraq,
leaving Howard to explain why he is not doing the same.

      Opinion polls show the Iraq conflict is deeply unpopular among
Australians, and anti-war demonstrations are planned outside venues
in Sydney where Cheney is to speak or hold meetings.

      Hours before Cheney's arrival, police clashed with protesters at
Sydney's town hall. Ten people were arrested after about 200
demonstrators tried to break through a police cordon and march on
the U.S. consulate. 

Meantime, U.S. troops battled insurgents in fierce
fighting that killed at least 12 people in the volatile Sunni city
of Ramadi, the military said Thursday. Iraqi authorities said the
dead included women and children.

      The six-hour firefight began after the U.S. troops were attacked
by insurgents with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades
Wednesday evening in eastern Ramadi, said Marine spokesman 1st Lt.
Shawn Mercer.

      The fighting ended after "precision guided munitions" damaged
a number of buildings being used by the insurgents, he said. Twelve
insurgents were killed and three were wounded, he said, adding that
there were no civilian casualties.

           U.S. and Iraqi authorities, meanwhile, vowed to fight back after
so-called "dirty" chemical attacks signaled a change in insurgent
tactics.

      Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the chief U.S. military spokesman,
said a raid on five buildings near Fallujah uncovered three vehicle
bombs that were being assembled with about 65 propane tanks and
"all kinds of ordinary chemicals." He added that he believed the
insurgents were going to try to mix the chemicals with explosives.

      "What we are seeing is a change in the tactics, but their
strategy has not changed. And that's to create high-profile attacks
to instill fear and division amongst the Iraqi people," he told
CNN. "It's a real crude attempt to raise the terror level by
taking and mixing ordinary chemicals with explosive devices, trying
to instill that fear within the Iraqi people."

      But he suggested the strategy was backfiring by turning public
opinion against the insurgents, saying the number of tips provided
by Iraqis had doubled in the last six months.

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A window into the home front

Controversy over the war in Iraq dogs Vice President Dick Cheney as he visits Australia, to thank one of Washington's staunchest supporters of the war. Hours before Cheney's arrival, police clashed with a few hundred protesters at Sydney's town hall. Britain and other allies have announced plans to begin withdrawing their troops from Iraq.

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