Clashes in al-Ramadi, 15 Iraqis killed in Tikrit, new bombardment in Falluja

The American forces continued their air bombardment of Falluja yesterday at dawn resulting in several being killed and injured. Witnesses said that one of the killed is the driver of a rental car whose car was attacked by American soldiers while he was transporting a family coming from Baghdad.

The eastern frontier of Falluja city witnessed Sunday evening intensive artillery bombardment and clashes between gunmen and the American marines. While the Marines forces are carrying out vast mopping up operations in Falluja and its surroundings in search of gunmen, these forces continued its build up in the surrounding of the city for an expected attack.

These developments came after the Iraqi prime minister Eyad Allawi extended a final warning to Falluja, noting that "chances for the solution are narrowing and that contacts reached final stages."

Allawi stressed in a press conference in Baghdad the government's cling to its set conditions which are "handing over the terrorists or expelling them from the city." He added "the call of the Iraqi forces, the Iraqi police and the national guards forces to enter the city and to arrest the gunmen, hand over heavy and medium weapons and rebuilding Iraq are all the conditions of the government in all parts of Iraq.

Meantime, violent confrontations erupted between the marines forces and gunmen in al-Ramadi city to the west of Baghdad. Witnesses said that one American vehicle was attacked by missile shelling. No information was given on the volume of losses. The American army announced yesterday that one of its soldiers was killed and other 4 injured as a result of the clashes resulted in killing 10 Iraqis.