U.S. Marines continued their artillery bombardment of targets in the Iraqi city of Fallujah on Wednesday and admitted Iraqi resistance fighters in the city center showed no signs of giving up.
At least five artillery shells hit the city and sporadic gunfire could be heard, Reuters reported.
U.S. occupation forces backed by Iraqi troops moved into the center of the city on Tuesday.
U.S. tanks that entered central Fallujah overnight met strong resistance, a U.S. Marine said.
The US military said that 10 American troops and two Iraqi soldiers have been killed since the major offensive on Fallujah started on Monday. Marine reports Wednesday said 25 American troops and 16 Iraqi soldiers were wounded.
Due to security issues, there were often delays in the reporting of casualties, it added. The US military said at least 71 "militants" had been killed as of the beginning of the third day of the intense urban combat. (albawaba.com)
