US marines and Iraqi troops pounded insurgents with bombs and tank cannons yesterday during a major offensive along a stretch of the Euphrates River valley where 22 marines were killed this week.

A US MARINE amphibious assault vehicle on patrol during combat operations near the Syrian border hit a roadside bomb yesterday, and 14 marines were killed in one of the deadliest single attacks in Iraq against US forces.

FALLUJAH, which came under full-scale attack from US and Iraqi forces yesterday, is a deeply conservative city that has been off limits to foreigners and the military for months.