US forces seize hospital, bridges in Fallujah
8/11/2004 15:28
US forces and Iraqi special forces stormed into the western districts of
Fallujah early Monday and seized the main city hospital and two key bridges over
the Euphrates River.
An AC-130 gunship pounded the city as explosions from US
artillery illuminated the night sky, news monitored in Beijing said.
Sporadic
artillery fires were heard and orange fireballs from high explosive airbusts
could been seen in parts of the city.
The initial attacks on Fallujiah began
just hours after the Iraqi government announced a 60-day state of emergency
throughout most of the country as militants dramatically escalated attacks,
killing at least 30 people including two Americans.
The Fallujah General
hospital, the largest in the city, is located on the western bank of the
Euphrates River.
US officials said there may be more fierce fighting to come
when US forces try to enter the main part of the city on the east bank of the
river.
Two US soldiers and one Iraqi were killed and six others wounded in
three separate car bombings in Baghdad on Sunday, said the US
military.
Another car bomb detonated near the Baghdad residence of Iraqi
Finance Minister Adel Abdul-Mehdi, killing one of his bodyguards and injuring
six neighbors. The minister was not at home at the time of the explosion, said a
spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
Xinhua News
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