Assault on Fallujah 'quicker than expected'

The US military’s ground and air assault of Fallujah has gone quicker than expected, with the entire city occupied after six days of fighting, Marine Major General Richard Natonski said today.

Natonski, who designed the ground attack, said he and other planners took lessons from the failed three-week Marine assault on the city in April, which was called off by the Bush administration after a worldwide outcry over civilians deaths.