seruriermarshal
11-12-2004, 12:24 AM
US Says Controls Most of Falluja, Insurgents Trapped
FALLUJA, Iraq (*******) - U.S.-led forces have gained control of most of Falluja and insurgents are now trapped in the southern part of the Iraqi city, U.S. officers said on Friday.
"They can't go north because that's where we are. They can't go west because of the Euphrates river and they can't go east because we have a huge presence there. So they are cornered in the south," Master Sergeant Roy Meek told *******.
Tank crews who have swept south over the last 24 hours said they had driven insurgents to the southern part of Falluja toward a guerrilla stronghold the Americans call 'Queens'.
"We met some resistance along the way, mostly RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) fire, but these insurgents are fleeing south," said lieutenant Joe Cash, a tank platoon commander.
Eighteen U.S. and five Iraqi soldiers have died since the assault began on Monday and 178 U.S. soldiers have been wounded, the military said in a statement in Baghdad.
Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi defended the attack on the rebel stronghold on Friday and said it would improve security across Iraq (news - web sites) and pave the way for planned January elections.
(Reporting by Michael Georgy; editing by Matthew Bigg)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041112/ts_nm/iraq_falluja_fighting_dc&cid=564&ncid=1480)
FALLUJA, Iraq (*******) - U.S.-led forces have gained control of most of Falluja and insurgents are now trapped in the southern part of the Iraqi city, U.S. officers said on Friday.
"They can't go north because that's where we are. They can't go west because of the Euphrates river and they can't go east because we have a huge presence there. So they are cornered in the south," Master Sergeant Roy Meek told *******.
Tank crews who have swept south over the last 24 hours said they had driven insurgents to the southern part of Falluja toward a guerrilla stronghold the Americans call 'Queens'.
"We met some resistance along the way, mostly RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) fire, but these insurgents are fleeing south," said lieutenant Joe Cash, a tank platoon commander.
Eighteen U.S. and five Iraqi soldiers have died since the assault began on Monday and 178 U.S. soldiers have been wounded, the military said in a statement in Baghdad.
Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi defended the attack on the rebel stronghold on Friday and said it would improve security across Iraq (news - web sites) and pave the way for planned January elections.
(Reporting by Michael Georgy; editing by Matthew Bigg)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041112/ts_nm/iraq_falluja_fighting_dc&cid=564&ncid=1480)