The Hindu : International : Massive assault on rebel base

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Saturday, Oct 02, 2004

International

International

Massive assault on rebel base

By Atul Aneja

— AP

A RUINOUS CAMPAIGN: Civilians inspect the damage after U.S. warplanes bombed Samarra, Iraq, on Friday.

MANAMA, OCT. 1. At least 80 persons have been killed after American occupation forces in Iraq launched a major ground and air assault on the city of Samarra, a major stronghold of the Iraqi resistance, northwest of Baghdad.

U.S. forces began their attack after midnight, aided by artillery fire and aerial bombardment. The U.S. military command said its troops had secured Government and police buildings by the early hours of Friday.

Medical supplies run out

Hospital sources said at least 80 bodies had been received, while another 100 wounded had been brought to the city's general hospital. Medical supplies were running low, and hospital staff said they were especially short of bandages and oxygen cylinders.

U.S. troops last evening had ordered residents to stay indoors and begun house-to-house searches, after cutting off electric and water supplies. A 7 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew was later declared. Residents cowered in their homes as the sound of gunfire and aerial bombardment reverberated throughout the night.

The "brigade size" ground assault, backed by tanks, appeared part of a U.S. effort to quell Iraqi resistance ahead of the January 2005 polls. U.S. forces have in recent weeks also stepped up air raids in Fallujah, a restive Sunni-dominated city west of the Iraqi capital, in preparation for the elections. Heavy toll

As the tussle between guerillas and U.S. forces intensifies, the resulting violence is taking a heavy toll of lives. Pentagon figures show that 76 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq over the past month, while 40 car bombs have exploded during the same period. Over 40,000 Iraqi civilians are believed to have been killed since the American invasion last year, while the U.S. death toll stands at 1,053.

On Thursday, the Islamic Army in Iraq abducted 10 employees of a Lebanese company, comprising six Iraqis, two Lebanese and two Indonesians.

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