BAGHDAD – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Iraq on Tuesday for passing the first in a series of critical laws meant to reconcile warring Iraqis, saying progress was remarkable even though more was needed.

ANKARA/SULAIMANIYA, Iraq – Turkish warplanes attacked Kurdish guerrilla targets in northern Iraq on Tuesday, Turkey’s General Staff said, but there were no reports of casualties or serious damage.

GAZA – Israel killed at least 18 Palestinians, nearly all Hamas militants, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, in violence the Palestinian Authority said was a “slap in the face” to President George W. Bush’s peace efforts.