Large scale attack against Falluja started with Allawi's consent

The American forces started a strong attack against all parts of Falluja city where the American jet fighters flew over the city while the artillery shelling and tanks shelling lit its dark skies.

The first armed confrontations between the American forces and the besieged gunmen erupted in the city in a railway station on the outskirts of Falluja. One American officer said that the marines entered Golan quarters and controlled the train station in the city.

Meantime, the marines backed by tanks, copters and heavy artillery proceeded towards the city which was deserted by most of its people to the al-Habaneyah tourism resort which was converted into a camp for refugees.

In a telephone call with al-Jazeera the official spokesman for Muslim scholars commission abroad, Muhammad Ayash al-Kubeisi, said that eye witnesses notified him that the fighters in Falluja captured 36 American soldiers, giving no further details.

Iraqi journalist Abu Baker al-Duleimi said in a telephone call with al-Jazeera from Falluja that the city is converted to a battlefield and that artillery bombardment continued in the western parts of the city, noting that the public hospital fell in the hands of the government forces and the alternative hospital which is composed of five doctors only is unable to accommodate the injured or providing them with necessary measures.

The Iraqi prime minister Eyad Allawi held a sudden visit to the Iraqi forces outside Falluja city and told them that the battle will start after curfew is introduced.

For his part, the British prime minister Tony Blair gave his support for the attack which is launched by the foreign and Iraqi forces against Falluja, noting that the "coalition forces have to stand steadfast." The attack took place after the prime minister Eyad Allawi green lighted the coalition forces and the Iraqi forces which number 20,000 troops to invade Falluja in order to "cleans" it of what he called foreign fighters who are hiding in it, setting certain measures coupled with this step. Among these steps is imposing curfew on Falluja and al-Ramadi cities in the course of implementing the emergency law which was declared on Sunday. Other series of measures were set including the closure of all roads before the traffic with the exception of police and ambulance cars and closing government buildings and banning carrying weapons in the two cities.

It was also announced the closing of Baghdad's airport in the face of civil aviation for 48 hours as from Monday evening and also the border crossing with each of Jordan and Syria with the exception of trucks which transport foodstuffs.

Allawi said that 38 gunmen were killed in fighting in Falluja with the American and Iraqi forces on Monday. He added that the Iraqi forces detained other four including two Moroccans, noting that the joint forces controlled the public hospital in the western outskirts of the city.