Suspected insurgents prepare to launch rocket attack in Ramadi (Oct. 2005 File photo)

Insurgents in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi launched a brief assault Thursday against a U.S. base and Iraqi government buildings.

Residents first reported the incident. They said scores of masked gunmen, believed to be al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists, launched mortar rounds and rockets in the streets, as local tribal leaders and U.S. military officials met.

U.S. military spokesman, Major General Rick Lynch downplayed the incident, saying there was only one rocket-propelled grenade attack against a joint Iraqi coalition checkpoint, and that it caused no casualties.

U.S. and Iraqi troops have been in Ramadi since Sunday, conducting anti-insurgent operations ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for December 15. But officials caution that they expect a spike in violence as insurgents grow more desperate in the lead-up to the vote.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.