Eight Die as U.S. Troops Battle Rebels in Iraq Town
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FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces fought running battles with insurgents in the Iraqi town of Falluja on Friday and eight civilians were killed, including three children, and 25 were wounded, a hospital official said.
Issam Mohammed, a doctor at the main Falluja hospital, said the wounded also included women and old people.
Reuters television footage showed some of the casualties being treated at hospital. A boy wounded in the head screamed in pain as doctors bandaged him.
Several explosions, apparently from mortar bombs fired by guerrillas, echoed through the streets, which were deserted apart from ambulances and U.S. military vehicles.
A mosque loudspeaker broadcast the call to Friday prayers, but residents had to stay huddled in their homes.
They said U.S. troops had come under attack when they entered the town's Hay al-Askari neighborhood. They sealed off the area and conducted house-to-house searches. Soldiers carried out a similar operation in the Hay al-Shuhada district.
U.S. troops turned back reporters trying to reach the town, where explosions and heavy gunfire could be heard from the outskirts.
Falluja, about 60 km (37 miles) west of Baghdad, has been known for its fierce hostility to the U.S.-led occupation.
The U.S. military had no immediate word on the fighting in the Sunni Muslim town.




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