CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. troops throughout Iraq are ringing in the new year on alert. Already there have been at least two incidents -- a deadly protest in Kirkuk and a car bomb in a crowded area of Baghdad. CNN's Satinder Bindra is there -- Satinder.</s>SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's four hours to midnight here in Baghdad and the mood still very tense. A bomb went off here just a couple of hours ago outside a restaurant. Several Iraqis were wounded. Earlier in the day, a bomb planted at a roadside went off just as a U.S. convoy was passing through. Five U.S. troops were wounded. Three members of Iraq's Civil Defense Corps were also wounded in this incident. But most importantly, one Iraqi boy, an 8-year-old, was killed. Early this morning, U.S. forces entered a Baghdad neighborhood. They went into a home after barging through the door. Two residents were killed in this firefight that ensued at this home. But U.S. troops say they have taken at least four suspected insurgents into custody. You mentioned U.S. forces being on alert. Yes, they are. Also on alert, members of Iraq's police here in Baghdad, all 12,000 of them. Meanwhile, in Kirkuk today, there was a large demonstration. Now, this -- these protesters were fired upon by members of the Kurdish Peshmerga. Two protesters were killed, about 14 were injured. These protesters want Kirkuk to remain as part of Iraq, but the Kurdish minor -- the majority there in Kirkuk wants Kirkuk to become part of the Kurdish autonomous region -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Happy new year to you, in just about four hours for you. Satinder Bindra reporting live from Baghdad this morning. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
The New Iraq: On Alert