US-led troops seized control of a hospital in the west of the cityUS-led forces have begun a full-scale attack on the insurgent stronghold of Falluja in central Iraq.
The move, which had been expected for weeks, came after interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi gave the go-ahead.
The BBC's Paul Wood reports very heavy fighting and the sound of massive explosions as US and Iraqi government troops battle their way into the city.
Earlier, they took control of the city's main hospital and two bridges over the Euphrates River.
Falluja is a predominantly Sunni Muslim city that has been a hotbed of resistance to the US-led occupation of Iraq following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime last year.
Many of its citizens have fled to escape the fighting, but there are still thought to be tens of thousands of civilians in the city.
Thousands of US and Iraqi troops, backed by tanks and aircraft, are attacking two northern areas of Falluja where insurgents are said to be massed.
Ahead of the assault, a massive aerial and artillery bombardment took place.
Our correspondent reports that the initial phase of the operation has seen the clearing of booby-trap bombs on the main routes into the city.
He says a US marine officer has told him that huge 2,000lb bombs have been dropped on insurgent positions from aircraft.
Darius's note: Any civilians down there?
7 comments:
go to the link to see the answer
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/3992623.stm
Yeah, it seems there were a lot of civilians down there! Can you see them, Bushs, Crackers and Blaggs? Did you want to be among them?
Gee, I looked at the pictures and I didn't see any "civilians", unless this city is a conceal and carry city.
Keep droppin' dem bombs Georgie! Hey, and while we're at it, why not drop Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton? Oh wait, the American voters did that already!
Sorry, Darius or Quizzer or Anon, whoever you are today, but you will not get me to say civilian casualties are a good thing. It is sad and a travesty, but you sure never seem to care about the casualties caused by your terrorist bretheren. Sorry to hear about your leader Arafat, but maybe now some of those millions the US & EU send for aid for the Palestinians might actually get to the people who need it and not his Swiss accounts. What a great and honorable man, stealing from his own people. By the way, how's your German these days?
hey, they replaced the pictures of dead civilians by some other photos on the same page, that is strange!
Cracker, that means you have gained your consciousness back too late and opened the link while it had been updated with new pictures. Otherwise you could have seen a dying kid’s picture, but he was Iraqi. Do you count them in as a human being?
And do you think that the whole city is inhabited by militants only? Do they have wives and children? Or do you think everybody belongs to your specific orientation?
Did you get another blow? So, go back to your medication again, dude.
You can be sorry only for yourself, Mr Blagg. Because you are helpless and think: oh gosh, how many people do hate us? And why do they hate us, while we are so good?! And those anonymous commentators could be your neighbour but not me. Just because I have mentioned every time I had to be anonymous (could not get through your blog) that it was me. But most of them are your “buddies” who don’t want to be recognized and hates your fascistic ideas.
And Arafat can be your enemy but not my leader, just because I am neither an Arab nor Palestinian. I regard him as a respectful human-being. And as I told you before, go and see what your beloved George is doing with your billions of dollars and where he is spending them and why have you got an unprecedented budget deficit of $413 bln. Shame on you that you are getting robbed and don’t care a damn, while pedantically questioning a person who has nothing to do with you.
My German is improving, especially after reading Sharon’s Mein Kampf in Hebrew. A guy who considers al other nations Untermensch.
Heil Herr Blagg!
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