A US politician says about six Marines will be charged in the killing of 24 civilians in the Iraq town of Haditha.

The US military’s ground and air assault of Fallujah has gone quicker than expected, with the entire city occupied after six days of fighting, Marine Major General Richard Natonski said today.

American forces pushed deeper into the last remaining insurgent stronghold in Fallujah today, and the Iraqi government rushed massive reinforcements to Mosul in the north, where police lost control in the face of insurgent attacks.