US casualties as marines battle militants

US MARINES battled insurgents in Fallujah yesterday with warplanes dropping bombs and tanks shelling suspected guerrilla positions, causing deaths on both sides, as the first 200 residents returned to the battered city.

The fighting comes as the US military began re-examining security measures at bases across Iraq. On Wednesday, top Pentagon officials admitted that an attack that killed 22 people at a camp near Mosul was likely carried out by a suicide bomber who infiltrated the camp’s dining tent as soldiers ate lunch.

In Fallujah, US F-18 fighter-bombers were seen striking at targets in the city’s outskirts. Tank and artillery fire was also heard. Officials said US Marines were killed, but would not specify the number. Several insurgents were also killed.