Gunmen kill 56 in grisly Iraq hostage siege

BAGHDAD - Gunmen wearing military uniforms over explosives belts charged into a government building in Saddam Hussein's hometown in an attack that left 56 people dead, including 15 hostages who were shot execution-style.

The five-hour standoff in Tikrit on Tuesday ended only when the attackers blew themselves up in what was one of the bloodiest days in Iraq this year.

US troops who were nearby as part of an advising mission with Iraqi forces responded to the attack, and some US soldiers received minor wounds, said military spokesman Colonel Barry Johnson. The US troops dropped back after Iraqi forces took control, Johnson said.