Iraq: Twenty-two US soldiers and five Iraqi troops fighting alongside them have been killed in this week's offensive to take control of the rebellious city Falluja, a senior US commander said yesterday.
Lieut Gen John Sattler, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, also said 170 US soldiers had been wounded in the ground assault in the city, with about 40 of them returning to duty after receiving medical treatment.
In a briefing from a base near Falluja, monitored in Washington, Lieut Sattler said that five Iraqi government soldiers had been killed in the offensive, and 40 wounded. He said about 600 insurgents were killed.
American and Iraqi forces occupy about 80 per cent of Falluja and continued to conduct house-to-house searches for insurgents, he said.