US pounds Fallujah as blasts rock Damascus
The action followed an assault by US forces near the other Iraqi flashpoint city, Najaf.
In the holy city of Najaf, 64 fighters loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were killed hours after Washington issued an ultimatum to him to clear his militia and their arms from mosques. The fierce fighting between US Marines and insurgents in Fallujah erupted hours after a deadline passed for the rebels to lay down their weapons.
