US warplanes target Iraq rebels

The anti-US violence appears to be spreading

US forces have launched air strikes and fought gun battles in the Iraqi town of Baquba, north-east of Baghdad, after rebels stormed police stations there.

Two 500lb (225kg) bombs were dropped during the fighting and 20 insurgents were killed, the US military said.

The clashes came as a major US assault against the Sunni city of Falluja entered its second week.

The US military says it controls Falluja but some pockets of resistance remain, mainly in southern districts.

Click below for a satellite picture showing key areas

Enlarge Image

Heavy air and artillery strikes hit insurgent positions on Monday, with war planes attacking an underground bunker and reinforced tunnels, the US said.

The BBC's Paul Wood, who is with the US marines, says the fighting in southern Falluja is the most intense they have experienced so far.

In other developments:

• At least six Iraqi troops are killed in the city of Mosul as two police stations are stormed, witnesses say

• Militants release two female relatives of Iraq's interim Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, kidnapped last Tuesday but there is no word about his elderly male cousin who was also seized

• A US soldier is charged with "premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder" for his role in the shooting death of an Iraqi in Baghdad in August

Bus-load of rebels?

The clashes in Baquba began at about 0800 (0500 GMT) when a bus carrying about 20-40 insurgents arrived in the town, a US sergeant told AFP news agency.

The rebels used rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire near a police station in the town.

Four US soldiers were wounded. In one skirmish, "1st Infantry Division soldiers received fire from a mosque," a US military statement said.

Iraqi police stormed the mosque and found a weapons cache including rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and ammunition, the statement said.

Earlier, insurgents killed an Iraqi policeman as they took control of a police station in Buhriz, near Baquba.

It is not clear whether the attacks were related.

Baquba, a mixed Sunni and Shia town, has been a centre of anti-US resistance.

Rebels' last stand?

US troops in Falluja, backed by Iraqi soldiers, have pushed the insurgents to the southern edge of Falluja, beyond which the desert and more US troops await them, says our correspondent.

The officer commanding the US assault, Maj Gen Richard Natonski, says there are a few determined fighters left.

URBAN WARFARE Techniques, tactics and the history of fighting in cities

"I think what you're seeing now are some of the hardliners. They seem to be better equipped than some of the earlier ones," he said.

"We've seen flak jackets on some of them and I think they're probably willing to lay down their lives in the fight. But we're more determined and we're gonna wipe them out."

Many houses in the south of the city have been found full of weapons.

Outside the US base in central Falluja, bodies of suspected fighters lie in the streets, gnawed at by dogs and cats.

It was estimated that up to 50,000 out of the usual population of 300,000 had remained in the city but this number is impossible to verify.

There are no figures on civilian deaths. US military officers say they believe there are few civilian casualties because so many people fled before the assault began.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International has accused both sides of violating the rules of war protecting civilians and wounded combatants.

Amnesty said US and Iraqi troops had failed to take the necessary steps to ensure non-combatants did not come under fire, while insurgents had fired indiscriminately and abused white flags as a cover to carry out attacks.

The US military says it has killed about 1,200 militants. Thirty-eight US soldiers have been killed and 275 wounded so far. Six Iraqi government troops have also died.

An Iraqi government delegation is due to go to the marines' headquarters to help assess the condition of civilians.

The Iraqi Red Crescent - one of the few aid agencies operating in Iraq - has offloaded supplies on the outskirts of Falluja after being denied access to the city.

The Americans have said they can take care of Falluja's humanitarian needs themselves.

Military civil affairs teams are poised to begin giving out millions of dollars in compensation.

The US-led assault on Falluja is aimed at stabilising the country before planned elections in January.