Coalition forces engage rebels in Fallujah

In one of the fiercest exchanges since the end of the war in Iraq, insurgents in the city of Fallujah have come under sustained bombardment by US forces.

In one of their most intensive uses of firepower, American tanks and aircraft have pounded the rebel forces in the city.

US Marine commanders have denied that this signals the start of an all-out attack on Fallujah. They claimed that the besieging of the predominantly Sunni Muslim city was in response to breaches of the tenuous and frequently violated local ceasefire.

The US military operation in Fallujah began on April, following the killings of four Amercian civilian contractors in the city. Fallujah, which lies 30 miles west of Baghdad, has been a hotbed of armed opposition to the US-led occupation in Iraq.

The latest bombardment has focused on the Jolan neighbourhood, a district of narrow alleyways and ramshackle houses that is considered a focus of militant resistance. Iraqi hospitals reported that two people were injured in the fighting, but there has been no information about any Iraqis being killed.

US forces have also been battling with insurgents in the Shia holy city of Najaf, where 64 Iraqis were killed at the start of the week.

US administrators have said that they want to avoid an all-out assault on Fallujah.

In New York, UN senior adviser Lakhdar Brahimi warned Iraq’s US-led administration that an armed confrontation with insurgents in Fallujah would lead to major bloodshed and could have long-lasting consequences.

(KmcA)