U.S. military and U.S. media has been lying to us again - Fallujah

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=2&u=/ap/20041223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

3 U.S. Marines Killed in Fallujah Battle

FALLUJAH, Iraq - U.S. Marines battled insurgents in Fallujah on Thursday, with warplanes dropping bombs and tanks shelling suspected guerrilla positions in the heaviest fighting in weeks, erupting as the first residents returned to the devastated city. At least three Marines were killed in the area, the military said.

The fighting was the heaviest in Fallujah since Dec. 10, when seven Marines, three Iraqi troops and about 50 insurgents were killed. The former insurgent stronghold has seen sporadic violence, including artillery and small-arms fire, since the United States captured it in a weeklong offensive last month.


F-18 fighter-bombers were seen striking at targets in the city's outskirts. Tank and artillery fire was also heard.


U.S. officials said Marines and insurgents were killed in the Fallujah fighting. A military spokeswoman said three Marines were killed in action Thursday in Anbar province, which surrounds Fallujah.


American commanders have hailed the November offensive to retake Fallujah as a major tactical victory. But pockets of insurgents remain in the city — and violence elsewhere in Iraq (news - web sites) has only escalated since the capture of Fallujah, after many guerrillas apparently slipped out of Fallujah to operate in central and northern Iraq.

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