Soldiers from the 1st battalion 24th regiment of the Stryker Brigade fire shells in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
Later the 25th Regiment fired some tortellini and garlic bread just for good measure.
A US Marine helicopter flies over Fallujah. The assault on Fallujah, part of a bid to reclaim key rebel enclaves across the country ahead of January elections, has been the largest military operation in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.
Meanwhile the insurgent's helicopter fleet has been grounded because of an across the board failure to pass international safety inspections.
A US Marine with 3/5 Marines Lima company looks at weapons found in Fallujah.
In Fallujah, the weapon gardens have been in full bloom lately.
A U.S. Marine smokes cigarette next to a blindfolded detained man in the restive Iraqi city of Falluja, November 19, 2004.
Certain members of the media have been accusing the Marines of torture tactics because of the recent compulsory "Name that tobacco while blindfolded" interrogations.
An Iraqi national soldier smokes at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Mosul,Iraq Thursday, Nov. 19, 2004.
Auditions for the upcoming film, "Hannibel Lechter goes to Iraq" have been drawing a lot of applicants.
An Iraqi national soldier, right, and an American soldier communicate with the help of a translation card at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Mosul,Iraq Thursday, Nov. 19, 2004.
The Iraqi version of "Trivial Pursuit" is generally played in the field with guns and tanks.
A herd of sheep approaches U.S. Army soldiers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Mosul,Iraq Thursday, Nov. 19, 2004.
Another scene from that upcoming film which is also considered being titled "Road blocks of the lambs."
A U.S. Army soldier searches Iraqi men at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Mosul,Iraq Thursday, Nov. 19, 2004.
Another new film being worked on is an Iraqi tribute to the Three Stooges which will likely be titled "Hey Mosul."