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Fight Against Insurgents Moves to Mosul

Traci Mitchell, News 8 WMTW Washington Bureau

Thursday, November 18, 2004

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Iraqi troops are now racing to crush the fighters who have now moved into Iraq's third largest city of Mosul.

In Fallujah, the fighting has slowed, and there is word that the people there could be heading home within days. Commanders say some may be shocked by what they see. Others will be relieved to be back.

In a city smashed by bombs and bullets, people are just stepping out of their homes. And an American general says those forced to flee Fallujah may be allowed to return as soon as this weekend.

The fighting here is winding down, but Marines continue to hunt for pockets of insurgents hiding in Fallujah.

Meanwhile, the military is investigating the fatal shooting of an unarmed Iraqi prisoner in a Fallujah mosque. A marine shot him at close range Saturday.

Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, Commander of the First Marine Expeditionary Force, said, "Let me make it perfectly clear. We follow the law of armed conflict, and we hold ourselves to a high standard ofaccountability. The facts of the case will be thoroughly pursued to make an informed decision and to protect the rights of all persons involved."

In Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, loud explosions and gunfire could be heard as thousands of U.S. troops stormed in to retake streets and police stations seized by gunmen last week.

As this fire fight continued, hope faded for kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan. Gunmen kidnapped the 59-year-old on her way to work in Baghdad last month. Al Jazeera television says it received a videotape of her execution.

Stepped-up assaults on insurgents in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq have pushed the U.S. death toll to at least 91 in November, making it the second-deadliest month for American troops since the Iraq invasion in March 2003. That's according to Pentagon figures.