U.S. forces moved into Fallujah at dawn Tuesday, facing resistance as they started house-to-house searches in the second day of their aggression against the city. The US Army said the move into the northwestern Jolan section was going "smoothly" with minimal collateral damage despite round-the-clock bombardment.
The U.S. troops, backed by tanks and Humvees, advanced into the city from two sides, the northeastern Askari neighborhood and the Jolan neighborhood.
Just to the north of Jolan, US-backed Iraqi forces took control over the strategic train station, The AP reported. Artillery, tanks and warplanes had pounded the district's northern edge overnight.
By the noon, US forces were reported near the heart of the city.
The U.S. military said three soldiers had been killed and another 14 injured in and around Fallujah during the past 12 hours. A total of five American soldiers have died since the offensive started.
A US Kiowa helicopter flying over southeast Fallujah took groundfire Tuesday, injuring the pilot, but he managed to return to the U.S. base, the U.S. military said. Earlier, Reuters reported a U.S. helicopter crashed after being hit by a rocket in the city's Jolan district.
U.S. troops cut off electricity to the city and local residents said they were without running water and were worried about food shortages because most shops in the city have been closed for the past two days.
Elsewhere, Iraqi fighters attacked three police stations in the town of Baqouba northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 45 policemen and wounding many more, police said. The attacks had hit the Wahda, Tahrir and Mafraq police stations in the city, 65 kms from the Iraqi capital.
In Ramadi, five American soldiers were injured when Marines shot at and destroyed two suspected car bombs, the U.S. military said Tuesday. Seven Iraqi fighters were killed in this clash. (albawaba.com)
