Insurgents Attack In Western Iraq
Marines Downplay Disruption During Talks With Tribal Leaders
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U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin Van Arsdale, left and Cpl. Richard Guadalupe, provide security at the back of their Amphibious Assault Vehicle in Saadah, Iraq, Dec. 1, 2005. (AP)
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The attacks in Ramadi occurred as local tribal leaders and U.S. military officials were to hold their second meeting in a week at the governor's office in the city center. The insurgents apparently tried to shell the building, but reporters inside said there was no damage or injuries.
The U.S. military played down reports by residents and police of widespread attacks Thursday against American and Iraqi installations in the city. The military said only one rocket-propelled grenade was fired at an observation post, causing no casualties.
Police Lt. Mohammed al-Obaidi said at least four mortar rounds fell near the U.S. base on the city's eastern edge. Residents also said scores of masked gunmen, believed to be members of al Qaeda in Iraq, ran into the streets but dispersed after launching attacks with mortars.
A U.S. Marine spokesman in Ramadi said reports of insurgents taking control of Ramadi are completely unsubstantiated and only a few small arms engagements occurred Thursday, reports CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick.
But an AP Television News video showed the insurgents walking down a shuttered market street and a residential neighborhood, as well as firing four mortar rounds. The masked men, however, looked relaxed and did not engage in any battles, and no U.S. bases or government buildings were shown.
CBS News correspondent Lara Logan reports that insurgents brazenly attacked Thursday in broad daylight, just as they had the same day that Congressman John Murtha demanded U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq. She reports that it's a day-by-day battle to hold on to the main road that runs through Ramadi and keep supplies moving to other troops.
"That's been an insurgent stronghold as long as we've been in country," said 2nd Lt. Joe Walker, referring to Saddam Mosque. "They feel safe in there."
In other developments:
The U.S. has just kicked off another offensive near Ramadi in an effort to clear the area of insurgents, reports McCormick.
Ramadi is the provincial capital of Anbar province, a Sunni stronghold, where clashes between insurgents and U.S. and Iraqi troops have left hundreds of people dead in the past two years.
About 500 Iraqi troops have joined 2,000 U.S. Marines, soldiers and sailors in a move to clear insurgents from an area on the eastern side of the Euphrates river near Hit, 85 miles west of Baghdad, the U.S. command said in a statement.
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