- FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) --
Attackers firing mortars in the Iraqi town of Falluja wounded eight U.S.
troops on Thursday, the U.S. army said, and witnesses said two Iraqis,
including a child, were killed in a firefight that followed.
-
- Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations
for the U.S. Army in Iraq, told a news conference the battle erupted as
U.S. soldiers were meeting local administrators in municipal offices in
the flashpoint town, 50 km west of Baghdad.
-
- U.S. troops were stationed on the roof of buildings around
the area, he said. Attackers fired several mortar rounds, one of which
struck the roof of one of the buildings, wounding seven U.S. soldiers and
a Marine.
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- Their wounds were not life-threatening, Kimmitt said.
-
- U.S. forces opened fire after the attack and a U.S. jet
and helicopters flew overhead.
-
- Local residents carried away the body of one man caught
in the crossfire. Nearby, a dead child lay on the ground, blood draining
from his neck, witnesses said.
-
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