7 US marines killed in Anbar

2004-12-13 07:57

Baghdad - Seven US marines were killed in two separate incidents in Iraq's restive Anbar province, a vast region comprising the battleground cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, the military said Monday.

It was unknown if the deaths were connected to heavy fighting that occurred on Sunday in Fallujah. American warplanes pounded the city with missiles as insurgents fought running battles with coalition forces.

In a statement, the military said the seven marines with the 1st marine expeditionary force died while conducting "security and stabilisation operations" in Anbar province. The statement gave no other details about the deaths, saying the release of more information could place US personnel at risk. The military had earlier reported another US marine death on Sunday in Anbar.

The names of the dead were withheld pending notification of their families. As of Monday, at least 1 296 members of the US military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

'Insurgents scattered'

Fallujah was the scene of a weeklong US-led offensive last month to uproot insurgents based in the city. US officials had said the insurgents scattered, and were planning how to return the estimated 250 000 people who fled.

The latest violence began when American and Iraqi forces clashing with guerrillas in several suburbs and ending with US airstrikes on suspected insurgent hideouts.

"The strikes were conducted throughout the day and were called in by troops in (armed) contact with and observing the enemy moving from house to house," spokesperson Lt Lyle Gilbert said.

Fallujah resident Abdullah Ahmed said the fighting started after US soldiers brought 700-800 men into the city to clear rubble from damage caused by November's offensive.

"The clashes started as soon as the young men entered the city," Ahmed said. "The American troops were surprised and decided to launch military operations."

The military had hoped it had routed the insurgents after the Fallujah invasion, but the latest attacks suggest they may be trickling back into the city.

- AP