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US destroys falluja arms dumps Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/22/iraq.main/http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/22/iraq.main/
U.S. destroys Falluja arms dumps
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. warplanes have pounded and obliterated suspected weapons storage sites in Falluja, according to the U.S. military.
Hospital officials in Falluja said Friday that eight people were killed and two wounded, according to The Associated Press. The U.S. military said it had no reports of casualties.
The airstrike was another Marine assault on targets in the Sunni Triangle city, considered a terrorist and insurgent stronghold.
Marines have been launching airstrikes on Falluja for weeks, and the latest assault comes during a stepped-up U.S. and Iraqi air and ground campaign that began last week.
Interim government officials are warning that there will be a full-scale offensive against the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi network and other fighters if citizens fail to hand militants to authorities.
Britain announced on Thursday that it would move elite troops nearer Baghdad to allow U.S. forces to redeploy and ratchet up operations against militants in Falluja and other rebellion-stoked cities. (Full story)
But the activity in Falluja came as an influential Sunni leader -- Sheikh Fakhri al-Qasi speaking for the Al-Shura Society for the Sunni people -- warned U.S.-led forces not to conduct an offensive in the city and said such an assault would meet stiff opposition.
In overnight action, troops saw 20 armed people toting crates of ammo and equipment from one storage area to another building in Falluja about 10 p.m. Thursday.
Fifteen minutes later, Marines fired precision-guided bombs at a building and obliterated it, causing secondary explosions. Ten minutes after that assault, warplanes took out the second building, and that caused a number of prolonged secondary explosions.
Such secondary explosions are signs that there could have been explosives stored in the locations.
Earlier Thursday, Marines said they fought with "several groups of insurgents" from the outskirts of Falluja.
Journalist targeted
In other violence, a hand grenade was thrown at the house in the al-Shaab neighborhood of Baghdad of a correspondent for U.S.-funded Al-Hurra network early Friday.
The correspondent, Omar Mohammed Hussein, was not injured in the attack and there were no other casualties. But police said the house and his car were damaged.
Police believe the house was struck because the correspondent works with U.S.-based Al-Hurra, an Arabic-language satellite network broadcast in Arab countries. It was launched in February.
In a rural sector south of Baghdad, the U.S. soldiers and Marines last week netted many weapons and arrests. It was a 12-hour operation in a long stretch along the Tigris River.
The operation, which took place October 14, was reported Friday.
"Soldiers and Marines found 10 500-pound bombs, 100 mortar rounds, seven rocket-propelled grenades, and a sundry of small arms and other explosives," according to a news release.
Forty individuals were detained during the raid, and many of the 18 intended target individuals were found, while others were primarily taken into custody for questioning.
The military also reported raids farther north around Tikrit Thursday that resulted in arrests and weapons seizures.
Also, a U.S. military hearing in Baghdad reconvened Friday to decide if there is enough evidence to try a U.S. soldier on charges of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder while on duty in Iraq, according to a news release from the Coalition Press Information Center.
The soldier is Staff Sgt. Jonathan Alban of C Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment. If tried and convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.
Other developments
The highest-ranking U.S. soldier charged in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison. Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, a U.S. Army reservist from Virginia, had pleaded guilty to five charges of abusing Iraqi detainees. (Full story)
The husband of CARE International's country director for Iraq said Thursday that he was having a hard time understanding the reason for her abduction. "She's not involved in any politics or religion," Tahseen Ali Hassan said at a news conference. Margaret Hassan, who holds dual British and Iraqi citizenship, is credited with helping the poorest and neediest Iraqis. (Full story)
An Army captain has been relieved of command at her request over an incident last week in which some reservists refused to drive a fuel convoy on a dangerous mission, Pentagon officials said. The officer was in overall command of the 343rd Quartermaster Company, an Army Reserve unit based in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Pentagon officials would not release the captain's name, citing an announcement expected Thursday in Iraq.
Two Egyptian men were freed Wednesday in Iraq after being held hostage for nearly a month, the Arabic-language television network Al-Jazeera reported. The network said the Unification and Jihad group has secured the men's release through mediation with another group holding them hostage. Unification and Jihad is believed to be linked to al-Zarqawi.
Copyright 2004 CNN.
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