Marines sporadically opened fire with automatic weapons as well as firing flares around the hotel that houses most foreign media in the Iraqi capital, they said.

Sunday was relatively calm in Baghdad.

A US military spokesman earlier said US troops would start joint patrols with Iraqi security forces in a bid to restore order to the capital hit by looting and violence after the fall of the Baghdad regime.

US officials have begun trying to rebuild the Iraqi police force as well as drawing people back to key sectors such as the electricity department.

SPACE.WIRE