Occupation warns Faluja: handing over weapons within days, otherwise the attack

The American occupation forces gave yesterday a grace period to the people of Faluja and its resistance men of "days only" to hand over their weapons, threatening to resume its attacks against the besieged city in an operation which it said will be of a heavy price for the two sides.

Leaders of the marine forces which besiege Falujja since weeks to make sure that the few amount of weapons which were handed over on Wednesday evening was a mere "scrap." Col. Bernan Burn said that among the weapons are 20 RPG shelling of which 12 are defected and other useless pistols, mortars and 200 military helmets, adding " we are not pleased."

Meantime, the spokesman for the Muslim scholars in Iraq, Muthanna Hareth al-Dari, said that the negotiations are still continuous to implement the Monday agreement, noting that a meeting was held between a delegation from Faluja and the occupation authority will be held today to discuss this issue.

One the other hand, witnesses said that a procession of 1000 American troops arrived yesterday at the surrounding of Karmeh, 6 Km from Faluja in order to ensure the security of the supply lines between Baghdad and the American bases in the West of Baghdad. They added that a fierce battle erupted with Iraqi resistance in the area.

In a statement, the marine forces announced that the number of persons killed in the military fights on Wednesday with the Iraqi resistance men reached 36.

However, it seemed that the Shiite reference in al-Najaf lifted the cover from the Shiite clergy Muqtada al-Sader following the regret disseminated in the city over the crisis which has been continuous for more than 3 weeks at a time when the occupation forces called on the people of Karbala not to permit members of " al- Mahdi army " to use the holy shrines as resorts. An evidence on that was the statement of the tribes chieftains issued on Wednesday following their meeting with the Shiite clergy Ayatullah Ali al-Seistani, calling on members of " al-Mahdi army" to drop the weapons to avoid the blood bath.

The statement said that al-Najaf has become a dead city where " trade, social and educational activities are stopped." In al-Basra anger and sadness overwhelmed the city while eulogizing its 73 citizens who were killed on Wednesday massacres and the number of the killed increased from 68 to 73 with the death of five more wounded.

The streets seemed calm while many of the parents kept their children at home after some 17 children were killed in their way to school in one of the five explosions.