U.S.-Iraqi Force Pushes Into Rebel-Held Fallouja

Facing heavy resistance from snipers and squads of guerrillas, U.S. Marines pushed deep into the heart of this longtime insurgent stronghold today, seizing a key mosque and a neighboring convention center at the core of the armed rebellion.

House-to-house fighting raged in several Fallouja neighborhoods today as Marines returned fire against insurgents inside homes. The northeastern Askari neighborhood shook with explosions as troops blew up cars rigged as bombs.

In all, 10 U.S. soldiers and two members of the Iraqi forces have been killed in Fallouja since the incursion began Monday, according to the Associated Press.

In a long-planned offensive aimed at ending guerrilla control of the city 35 miles west of Baghdad, 10,000 U.S. troops and more than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers in tanks and on foot attacked.

By noon today, American forces had advanced to the southern part of the city, crossing a major highway through the city’s center.

The attack, expected to be the largest battle since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, began just past nightfall after a daylong barrage of air and artillery strikes. The main line of assault was to the north of Fallouja, where two Marine-Army combat teams of more than 3,000 troops each pressed the offensive in a steady, chilling downpour. Other American forces and British troops sealed off paths of retreat.

“The fight in Fallouja is far from over,” Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, operations chief of more than 150,000 soldiers in Iraq, said today at a news conference beamed to reporters at the Pentagon. He added, “I think we’re looking at several more days of tough urban fighting.”

Metz estimated that U.S. and Iraqi forces face 2,000 to 3,000 attackers, typically using small arms, including rocket-propelled grenades. Having burst through the insurgents’ outer ring of defense, Metz said, U.S. forces were, “a little ahead of schedule.”

“We are proceeding with speed, not haste…and we are using caution and precision in order to minimize civilian casualties and damage to the city,” Metz said.

He said Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant who leads a group that has claimed responsibility for numerous bombings, shootings and a series of beheadings of foreigners, may have fled Fallouja before U.S. and Iraqi forces ringed the city. “It’s fair to assume he’s left,” Metz said.

U.S. and Iraq forces claimed key landmarks in Fallouja today, including a mosque and neighboring convention center that insurgents used for launching attacks, the military said.

“This is the nerve center of the resistance — and we’re here,” said Capt. Theodore Bethea, commander of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion of the 8th Marine Regiment, which occupied the mosque.

Inside, Marines seized a weapons cache that included several rocket-propelled grenade launchers, AK-47 rifles, a sniper rifle, and materials for homemade bombs.

“The people who were using this didn’t come here to pray,” said 1st Sgt. Jose Andrade with Charlie Co.

There was some damage to the mosque, including broken glass and some destroyed walls. But its interior and distinctive minaret were largely intact.

About four guerrillas were killed in the attack on the mosque complex, but there was no figures on U.S. casualties, U.S. Marine officials said.

U.S. Marines of Bravo Co., also with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, seized the convention center across the street from the mosque.

The two facilities were considered key gathering points for the resistance, including a place where volunteer fighters from other Muslim nations met, U.S. officials say.

Both facilities are also closely associated with Omar Hadid, an Iraqi guerrilla leader here who is said to have an alliance with Zarqawi.

The mosque and the convention center were the first main objectives of Regimental Combat Team 7, the joint task force of Marines, soldiers and others who invaded Fallouja from the north late Monday, following a massive bombardment of the town.

That both objectives were achieved within 24 hours indicates the invasion’s progression, military officials said.

Marines faced intense fire during their one-mile thrust through Fallouja. Snipers fired rifles while mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire at the Marines.

“It was one hell of a difficult fight,” said 1st Sgt. Jose Andrade, the first sergeant with Charlie Company. “We had to fight back fire the whole way.”

On several occasions, squads and platoons were pinned down by volleys of RPGs and rockets and were forced to take cover in houses or elsewhere. Squads of guerrillas were also seen in the area as Charlie Co. advanced, taking position in the many houses abandoned by their residents.

However, officials said it appears the bulk of the Fallouja fighting force had dropped back or were waiting to fight another day.

Much of the city seemed abandoned today. Streets appeared deserted, except for guerrilla fighters who darted in and out of alleys and peered through windows. Few, if any civilians were present on the streets or in their houses after U.S. forces had urged civilians to leave.

“The only people we saw in the area who came through were bad guys,” said Lt. Christopher Conner, executive officer for Charlie Co.

Explosions continued to rock the city today, both from U.S. ground and air forces and insurgents firing rockets, mortars and artillery rounds. Great plumes of smoke rose up occasionally as U.S. forces took out safe houses filled with arms and weapons.

There was no sense of security in the streets, and Marines moved with the greatest of caution, expecting ambushes at every step. U.S. aircraft rained down missiles and rapid-fire Gatling guns and other weapons, the sounds punctuating the day.

Overhead, U.S. drone aircraft photographed enemy positions.

In coming days, Marines are expected to attempt to seize several other key objectives, including Fallouja’s government center, the former Iraqi National Guard headquarters, and several mosques also considered central to the insurgency.

But it will clearly take a much larger effort to assert full control over Fallouja. Many of the residents have been openly supportive of the rebels and opposed to the U.S.-led intervention here.

U.S. officials say a multimillion-dollar reconstruction plan will follow the invasion in an effort to help rebuild the city. People whose houses have been destroyed will be able to make claims for compensation, officials say.

But more difficult to bridge will be the perception here — in the heartland of Sunni Muslim Iraq — that the U.S. invasion has led to a disenfranchisement of the Sunni Arab population that has long dominated Iraq.

McDonnell, who is embedded with U.S. forces, reported from Fallouja. Staff Writers Alissa J. Rubin reported from Baghdad and John Hendren from Washington, while Daryl Strickland handled rewrite in Los Angeles. Times wire services also contributed to this report.