The New York Times > International > 3rd Round of Talks to Be Held in Fallujah: "``What is coming is the destruction of anti-coalition forces in Fallujah ... they have two choices: Submit or die,'' he told reporters.
Nearly 60,000 Fallujah residents, about a third of the population, have fled over the past two days, a Marine commander said. Kimmett said 60 insurgents had been captured in the Fallujah campaign so far, including five foreign Arabs.
>>>In the south, the militia of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr remained in control of Karbala and nearby Najaf and Kufa. Braced for an American assault, hundreds of militiamen with assault rifles roamed the streets of Najaf and Kufa and guarded makeshift checkpoints.
In anticipation of violence and because of a major religious occasion this weekend, most stores in Najaf and Kufa were closed. Some owners emptied shops of goods, storing them at home for fear of looting.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are in Karbala and other Shiite cities to mark al-Arbaeen, the end of the mourning period for a 7th-century martyred Shiite saint. Ceremonies last until Sunday night.
U.S. forces continued to fight gunmen in Kut, where hundreds of troops moved in Friday to wrest the city from the control of al-Sadr's militia. An AC-130 gunship and helicopters blasted militia positions as the Americans seized police stations and government buildings, Kimmitt said.
Kimmitt said seven militiamen were killed and 74 captured. Hospital officials in Kut said 23 Iraqis have been killed in clashes between al-Sadr supporters and U.S. forces since the incursion began.
The U.S. military's death toll from the week of fighting across the country stood at 47. The fighting has killed more than 500 Iraqis -- including more than 280 in Fallujah, a hospital official said. At least 649 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003."
Nearly 60,000 Fallujah residents, about a third of the population, have fled over the past two days, a Marine commander said. Kimmett said 60 insurgents had been captured in the Fallujah campaign so far, including five foreign Arabs.
>>>In the south, the militia of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr remained in control of Karbala and nearby Najaf and Kufa. Braced for an American assault, hundreds of militiamen with assault rifles roamed the streets of Najaf and Kufa and guarded makeshift checkpoints.
In anticipation of violence and because of a major religious occasion this weekend, most stores in Najaf and Kufa were closed. Some owners emptied shops of goods, storing them at home for fear of looting.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are in Karbala and other Shiite cities to mark al-Arbaeen, the end of the mourning period for a 7th-century martyred Shiite saint. Ceremonies last until Sunday night.
U.S. forces continued to fight gunmen in Kut, where hundreds of troops moved in Friday to wrest the city from the control of al-Sadr's militia. An AC-130 gunship and helicopters blasted militia positions as the Americans seized police stations and government buildings, Kimmitt said.
Kimmitt said seven militiamen were killed and 74 captured. Hospital officials in Kut said 23 Iraqis have been killed in clashes between al-Sadr supporters and U.S. forces since the incursion began.
The U.S. military's death toll from the week of fighting across the country stood at 47. The fighting has killed more than 500 Iraqis -- including more than 280 in Fallujah, a hospital official said. At least 649 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003."
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