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Five U.S. Troops Died Since Offensive Began In Fallujah

U.S. Forces Work To Drive Insurgents Out

POSTED: 6:55 am EST November 9, 2004

UPDATED: 10:11 am EST November 9, 2004

NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq -- The U.S. military says three troops are dead with another 14 wounded in the past 12 hours of fighting in Fallujah.

A total of five U.S. troops have died since the offensive began against Iraqi militants in the city, which is just west of Baghdad.

Two Marines died when their bulldozer tumbled into the Euphrates River.

The pilot of an American helicopter was injured by ground fire -- but managed to return to base.

A total of 14 Americans have been killed in the past two days across Iraq -- including the five in and around Fallujah.

Nine others have died as guerrillas launched a wave of attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere.

A senior Pentagon official said the nine others died Monday southwest of Fallujah and in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, U.S. armored units have reached the central highway in the heart of Fallujah. The move brings them into the southern part of the city: a major step in re-taking the rebel stronghold.

The relentless salvo of artillery strikes has stopped because so many U.S. troops are prowling the city's narrow alleys.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reports U.S. and Iraqi forces are surrounding a city mosque used as an arms depot and militant meeting point.

Witnesses in the Iraqi city of Fallujah say heavy street fighting is under way in the northern part of the rebel stronghold.

U.S. forces are on a major offensive aimed at driving insurgents out.

After hours of artillery and aircraft bombardment on suspected insurgent strongholds, the assault began Monday on the northwestern neighborhood of Jolan. A second prong of the attack was then launched into the northeastern Askari district. Heavy firing continued into the pre-dawn hours Tuesday.

Army and Marine units are going door-to-door in their quest, while shelling continues in the city.

Witnesses said said at least two American tanks were engulfed in flames.

As the security noose is tightened in Fallujah, an Army commander said he wants to make sure insurgents dressed in civilian clothes don't sneak out.

Col. Michael Formica said, "I do not want these guys to get out of here. I want them killed or captured as they flee."

U.S. commanders have avoided any public estimate on how long it may take to capture Fallujah, where insurgents fought the Marines to a standstill last April in a three-week siege.

A hospital official said the U.S. assault on Fallujah has killed at least a dozen Iraqis.

The doctor said a 5-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy are among more than a dozen wounded. A man in central Fallujah said hundreds of houses have also been destroyed. At least one clinic was also destroyed.

Others said they have no running water and fear a food shortage. Most city shops have been closed the past two days. U.S. troops have already cut off the city's power.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said there won't be "large numbers of civilians killed," adding that said civilians have been told about a round-the-clock curfew and other emergency measures to help them "avoid getting into trouble."

The top U.S. commander in Iraq said half to nearly three-quarters of the city's 200,000 residents have fled. That figure is in dispute because some put Fallujah's population at 300,000.

U.S. Forces Seen Entering Ramadi

Smoke is rising over the Iraqi city of Ramadi as U.S. jets and attack helicopters fly overhead.

It comes in response to hundreds of armed insurgents taking up positions in the center of the city. U.S. troops have been launching an assault on the nearby rebel stronghold of Fallujah.

Residents said U.S. forces haven't reached the heart of Ramadi, but are seen near the mayor's office.

Residents say hundreds of armed militants have set up in the center of Ramadi. The city is near Fallujah, where U.S. troops and their allies are battling militants.

Iraqis said earlier that gunmen toting Kalshnikov rifles, heavy machine guns and shoulder-fired rockets were holding the city.

Ramadi is about 70 miles west of Baghdad.

Earlier today, five U.S. troops were wounded when they fired on two suspected car bombs in Ramadi. The U.S. military said the exchange of fire killed seven rebels.

Many residents have left the city. The few remaining are subject to a curfew imposed by interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

U.S. forces have been clashing with rebels all week in the city. Monday, the Allawi imposed an around-the-clock curfew there as U.S. and Iraqi forces tried to drive militants out.

Iraq's capital will be under a nighttime curfew for the first time in more than a year.

Allawi's office Tuesday said authorities are imposing the Baghdad curfew under powers granted by an emergency decree.

The office said the nighttime curfew will last "until further notice."

The U.S.-led coalition lifted its curfew of the capital Oct. 26, 2003. It had imposed the curfew after knocking Saddam Hussein from power.

U.N. 'Extremely Concerned' About Refugees From Fallujah

The U.N. refugee agency said it's "extremely concerned" about tens of thousands of people fleeing fighting between rebels and U.S. troops in Fallujah.

A U.N. official says most civilians appear to have fled before the U.S. offensive began, but because of the fighting officials don't have specific numbers.

The spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said most who fled are staying with relatives, friends and others. She said "food, shelter, water and sanitation and health care" are the most vital needs.

She said officials will continue to monitor the situation from Jordan. The group's international staff remains outside Iraq for security reasons but are "in close contact with colleagues inside the country."

Clash In Baqouba

Fallujah isn't the only violent city in Iraq Tuesday.

Militants with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades have stormed two police stations near the central Iraqi town of Baqouba.

Police returned fire, killing one attacker and wounding 10 others. Hospital officials said 11 policemen and one civilian were wounded in the attacks.

Several heavy blasts have also rocked central Baghdad. It's not yet clear what caused them.

Sunni Political Party Quitting Interim Iraqi Government

A major Sunni political party is pulling out of the interim Iraqi government in protest of the assault on Fallujah.

It has decided that its one minister in the Cabinet should quit.

The head of the Iraqi Islamic Party told The Associated Press, "We cannot be part of this attack." He called it an injustice on the innocent people of the city.

The party has significant influence over the country's Sunni community and its withdrawal from the government will likely be a blow to Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

It is the Iraqi branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Sunni Islamic party well established in the Middle East. The party was suppressed under Saddam Hussein's rule and returned to life after Saddam was toppled.