FALLOUJA, Iraq — Marines surrounding this war-battered city called in airstrikes for a second day Wednesday, saying they were provoked by insurgents who launched attacks with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
Intensive fighting moved from a train station to a mosque to the edges of neighborhoods. Airstrikes from an AC-130 gunship destroyed a flatbed truck that was believed to be ferrying guerrillas and ammunition through the streets. Heavy artillery also leveled a house. In both cases, "secondary explosions" continued for 20 minutes, indicating the strikes hit large caches of weapons and ammunition, according to Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations in Iraq.
"The cordon around Fallouja remains tight," said Kimmitt, adding that U.S. forces have not initiated the recent fighting. He said there have been a "number of provocations" by insurgents but that American officials still believe negotiations "have promise" for a peaceful solution. The general quickly added, however, that U.S. military patience was not infinite.
To the south in the holy city of Najaf on Wednesday, U.S. forces continued to encircle the militia protecting radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr. The imam has been camped in Najaf since leading an insurrection against the occupation early this month. U.S. officials said talks with Iraqi religious and political leaders to end the standoff are continuing, but offered no details.
Kimmitt said there is "validity" to reports that rival Shiite organizations in the region -- opposed to Sadr and his lack of religious credentials -- have begun attacking and intimidating Sadr's followers. A report in the Arabic press said that members of a group known as the Double-Pointed Sword killed or kidnapped as many as five of the cleric's militiamen.
Much of the focus in Iraq on Wednesday was on Fallouja.
Kimmitt, asked to explain why the U.S. insisted that there was a cease-fire when fighting seemed to erupt daily, conceded that it was "somewhat paradoxical." He added that the Marines are defending themselves, and that for now a cease-fire would remain in effect.
The general said the military would allow the political track to progress "as long as it shows promise."
Masked insurgents appeared Wednesday on Arabic TV. They burned the proposed new Iraqi flag and condemned the country's political leadership as being controlled by American infidels.
