Italian Troops In Firefight With Insurgents In Southern Iraq

ROME, July 29 (AFP) - Italian troops traded fire Thursday with insurgents in the southern Iraq town of Nasiriyah, Italy's ANSA news agency reported citing a spokesman at military headquarters in Rome who described the situation as tense.
No-one was injured in the exchanges, during which the militants took control of two bridges, the agency quoted Captain Ettore Sarli as saying.
He said diplomatic contacts are underway to try to calm the situation.
Sarli said one of the clashes occurred at the Italian Libeccio military base, where an Italian soldier was killed on May 17.
The Italian parliament this week voted to extend the mission in Iraq until the end of the year.
Al-Qaeda has threatened reprisals in Italy for ignoring its demands to withdraw its troops from Iraq.