Three American soldiers killed in Iraq, 13 Iraqis in Falluja

One American military spokesman announced yesterday the killing of two marines during what was described as a security operation in al-Anbar province to the west of Iraq on Sunday in which the third died because of his wounds he had in the same operation. Thereby 10 American soldiers in al-Anbar were killed this week.

Witnesses said that an attack was launched against one American patrol on the highway to the north of Falluja that resulted in destroying a car but the American army did not comment on the attack.

In Baghdad, the American soldiers killed yesterday one Iraqi child and wounded another and also opened fire at a car which did not stop at an inspection point in Baghdad.

In a new outcome for the victims of the American bombardment of Falluja city, number of killing increased to 13 yesterday. Other five were injured in the bombardment which targeted a house in the city situated to the west of Baghdad.

News reports said that the said house was sheltering a ten- family member and most of the killing are of inhabitants of the house in addition to several passers by.

Prime minister of the Interim Iraqi government Eyad Allawi said that consultations were held between the Iraqi government and the multi-national forces preceded the raid and that the Iraqi security forces gave "clear and authentic information" that led to attacking a house known to be for al-Zarqawi," south east of Falluja.

On the other hand, Allawi called on both Syria and Iran to support the multinational forces in Iraq. This is, however, after each of the two countries advocated a call for rapid withdrawal of the foreign forces from Iraq.

The Interim Iraqi prime minister denied the existence of occupation forces in the country. He said that what exists currently is a multi-national forces, at the request of the Iraqi government in order to ensure security. He considered the departure of these forces as would be a catastrophe for Iraq in this phase." These statements came after the announcement made by the Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zeibari by the end of last week that there are intelligence information noting a support given by Iraq's neighboring states for the resistance forces.

Meantime, a NATO delegation held talks with the Iraqi defense minister Hazem al-Shalaan over implementing an offer from the western military alliance to help in training the Iraqi armed forces. No decisions were so far issued following the talks with the NATO delegation which arrived in Iraq in the first visit of its kind since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 raised deep differences inside the NATO.