Saddam Hussein’s lawyer blamed US-led “occupation forces” today for the killing of a second colleague in the trial and urged Arab leaders to “shoulder their responsibility” to combat disorder here that threatens the proceeding.

US Air Force jets destroyed a building near Iraq’s border with Syria today where al-Qaida insurgents hid weapons, the US military said.

US and Iraqi troops battled insurgents house-to-house yesterday, the third day of an assault against al-Qaida-led militants in a town near the Syrian border as the US command reported the first American death in the operation.

US and Iraqi troops battled house-to-house with insurgents today, the third day of a major offensive against al-Qaida insurgents in a town near Iraq’s border with Syrian, and the US command reported the first American death in the operation.

US and Iraqi troops battled militants in house-to-house combat today, the third day of a major offensive against al-Qaida fighters in a town near the Syrian border.

RESIDENTS fled an Iraqi town on the Syrian border yesterday during a lull in fighting between 3,500 US and Iraqi troops and suspected al-Qaida insurgents armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.

Insurgents armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades battled about 3,500 US and Iraqi troops today on the streets of Husaybah in the second day of an offensive to rout al-Qaida from its stronghold along the Syrian border.

The American military launched a major new offensive today, involving about 2,500 Marines, soldiers and sailors near the Syrian border, aimed at destroying an al-Qaida in Iraq network.

SUNNI-LED insurgents killed 11 Iraqi security forces and wounded 14 in two separate attacks yesterday, as Shiites began celebrating a major Muslim holiday. Al-Qaida in Iraq threatened more attacks on diplomats here.

A car bomb exploded near a busy market and cinema in eastern Baghdad today, killing at least 17 people and wounding 65, police said.

US forces pounded parts of Fallujah from the air and ground yesterday, targeting insurgents in a city where American forces were said to be gearing up for a major offensive.

Iraqi security forces will not be ready to protect the country against insurgents by the June 30 handover of power, the top US administrator said – an assessment aimed at defending the continued heavy presence of US troops even after an Iraqi government takes over.

US troops killed dozens of insurgents near the Syrian border with Iraq after an ambush that left five Marines dead.

TEN US soldiers and as many as 30 insurgents were killed in fierce clashes around Iraq over the weekend as Spain vowed to pull its troops out of the coalition "as soon as possible".

Five US marines and at least ten Iraqis were killed in a battle with a large force of insurgents near the Syrian border today.

GUERRILLAS killed two American soldiers and wounded a third in an ambush in western Iraq yesterday in the bloodiest month of the war yet.

US officials tonight vowed that the international coalition will not be broken by roadside ambushes that increasingly targeted US allies.

Mortar and tank fire lit up the night sky over Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit as US forces mounted a massive show of force to pin down resistance fighters.