Fallujah assault sparks new wave of violence

Insurgents stormed two police stations today in the strife-ridden city of Mosul, killing at least six Iraqi troops

Attacks have spread throughout Sunni Muslim areas following the American assault on Fallujah.

In Fallujah itself, marines found the mutilated body of a Western woman as they searched for militants still holding out in the former Sunni insurgent stronghold.

The woman could not be immediately identified, but a British aide worker and a Pole are the only Western women known to have been taken hostage.

At least 38 American troops and six Iraqi soldiers have been killed in the fighting in Fallujah.

US officials said American forces are now throughout the city although it could take several more days of fighting before the city is secured.

“The perception of Fallujah being a safe haven for terrorists, that perception and the reality of it will be completely wiped off before the conclusion of this operation,” said Lt Gen John Sattler, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

Although fighting in Fallujah was ebbing, insurgent attacks appeared to escalate elsewhere in Sunni Muslim areas of central and northern Iraq.

Saboteurs set fire to four oil wells in Iraq’s northern fields, setting off successive explosions in Khabbaza, 12 miles northwest of Kirkuk, oil officials said.