Foreign Desk

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The New York Sun

MIDDLE EAST


TROOPS POUND FALLUJAH


BAGHDAD, Iraq – American troops pounded the insurgent stronghold Fallujah with air strikes and tank fire yesterday, and the Iraqi government appealed to residents of the city to expel “foreign terrorists” and “murderers” to prevent an all-out attack.


A mortar shell exploded yesterday at a Baghdad sports stadium minutes before Prime Minister Allawi arrived to inspect a cash-for-weapons program for Shiite fighters. Insurgents, meanwhile, ambushed and killed nine Iraqi policemen as they were returning home from a training course at Jordan.


Throughout the day, the crackle of automatic weapons fire and the thud of artillery echoed across Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, as fighting between American troops and insurgents raged on the eastern and southern edges of the city, witnesses said.


Clashes blocked the main road leading to Baghdad, and plumes of smoke rose above the flat-roofed houses in the city’s Askari and Shuhada neighborhoods in eastern and southern Fallujah.


Witnesses said a Humvee was seen burning near the eastern edge of the city, and hospital officials reported three civilians were killed. There was no casualty report from the American military.


American forces have stepped up attacks around Fallujah since peace talks between the Iraqi government and Fallujah clerics broke down last Thursday after city leaders rejected Mr.Allawi’s demand to hand over “foreign terrorists,” including Jordanian-born extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.


-Associated Press


SOLDIERS HOLD OUT FOR ARMORED TRUCKS


BAGHDAD, Iraq – The American soldiers who refused orders to drive a dangerous route were members of one of a few supply units whose trucks are still unarmored, their commanding general said yesterday.


The Army reserve soldiers, now under investigation, had previously focused on local missions in safer parts of southern Iraq and had never driven a convoy north along the attack-prone roads passing through Baghdad.


“Not all of their trucks are completely armored. In their case, they haven’t had the chance to get armored,” said Brigadier General James Chambers, commanding general of 13th Corps Support Command, which sends some 250 convoys ferrying Army fuel, food, and ammunition across Iraq each day.


General Chambers, speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, said the 18 soldiers involved in last week’s incident had returned to duty and it was “too early” to determine if any will undergo disciplinary action. A pair of investigations are examining the soldiers’ disobedience as well as their allegations that the trucks were unfit for the hazardous journey.


– Associated Press


RIVALS HOPE FRAUD PROBE KEEPS RACE OPEN


KABUL, Afghanistan-Hamid Karzai’s rivals said yesterday it was too early to call Afghanistan’s inaugural presidential election, despite the interim leader’s dominant showing after three days of vote-counting.


The American-backed incumbent’s main challenger, Yunus Qanooni, insisted that a full count and a proper investigation by a panel of foreign experts on fraud allegations could yet put him in the running. He said his acceptance of the final results depends on the thoroughness of the probe.


Observers and officials acknowledge troubles during the October 9 election in which millions braved Taliban threats and bad weather to cast their votes. Mr. Karzai’s opponents claim there was widespread fraud. Of 905,887 votes tallied by last night, Mr. Karzai, Afghanistan’s interim president since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, had captured 60.2%.


– Associated Press


WESTERN EUROPE


MASSIVE WAR PROTEST IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE


LONDON – Thousands of anti-war and anti-globalization activists marched through central London and filled Trafalgar Square yesterday to protest the American-led coalition’s presence in Iraq.


The march marked the culmination of the third European Social Forum – three days of speeches, workshops, and debates largely dominated by Iraq and the American presidential election. Marchers carried signs reading “World’s No. 1 Terrorist” over a picture of President Bush. Prime Minister Blair was also a target, with placards reading “Out with Blair.”


Police estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 people set off from Russell Square around 1 p.m., but organizers announced that 75,000 had reached Trafalgar Square by mid-afternoon on a cold and rainy day. The protest was largely peaceful, apart from a few scuffles around the main stage at Trafalgar Square, where stewards linked arms to keep the crowd back.


-Associated Press


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