Black Watch frees up US forces for major assault

US forces are poised for a major assault on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, a general said today, as hundreds of British troops reached a base near Baghdad to free American forces to join the onslaught.

“We’re gearing up to do an operation and when were told to go we’ll go,” Brigadier General Dennis Hejlik, deputy commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said at a camp near Fallujah. “When we do go, we’ll whack them.”

Hejlik’s comments confirmed that plans are underway for a major assault on insurgent strongholds west of Baghdad in an effort to end the wave of car bombings, kidnappings and attacks that has escalated since Fallujah fell under guerrilla control last spring.

US officials have given no indication of the timing of a major attack.

However, in a sign that the assault may be imminent, the first wave of troops from the Black Watch regiment has arrived at a base near Baghdad.

The rest of the 850 strong British battle group was to arrive over the weekend.

The base is 20 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a town that has seen frequent insurgent attacks.

The Americans asked for the deployment in order to free up forces for a new assault on Sunni insurgents who have taken control of Fallujah and a number of towns north and west of Baghdad.

Clashes were reported today on the north-east edge of Fallujah and in Ramadi - an almost daily occurrence as the showdown with the insurgents looms.

In other violence today, car bombs in the northern city of Mosul targeted two US. patrols, killing an Iraqi civilian and lightly wounding five American soldiers.

A Turkish truck carrying bottled water was also attacked in the city, killing the driver and leaving the vehicle engulfed in flames.

In Baqouba, Aqil Hamid al-Adili, an assistant to the governor of Diyala province, was killed by gunmen as he was sitting in a friend’s office.