Iraq Declares Martial Law, U.S. Bombs Falluja

Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, declaring a 60-day state of martial law on Sunday to rein-in an insurgency that has claimed dozens of lives over the last two days and threatens January elections, said a move to retake Falluja could not be delayed much longer.

An AC-130 gunship struck Falluja with cannon fire and machine guns as American forces were massed on two sides of the city that Iraqi and U.S. authorities say is a base for loyalists of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

A U.S. Marine tank company and infantry unit moved to a staging area near Falluja early on Monday. U.S. forces say they only await word from Allawi to begin their assault 32 miles west of Baghdad.

"He still hopes that it may be possible to avoid a major military confrontation in Falluja ... He is, however, not optimistic," said Allawi spokesman Thair al-Naqib.

Witnesses said there was heavy fighting on the eastern and western fringes of the city, including around a bridge over the Euphrates. The Iraqi 36th Command Battalion seized the main hospital in Falluja, blindfolding a number of people and kicking down doors but not firing a shot.

The U.S. military says 1,000 to 6,000 fighters are holed up in Falluja. U.S. attacks have killed dozens of guerrillas but have failed to scare them away, a senior Marine commander said.

So our new plan of action is to scare the terrorists? Seems to me that in this post-10/31 world, we might need to try a little harder. Plus, how many of these fighters won't eventually be involved in kamikaze attacks on civillians and soldiers anyway? They're not afraid of death, they're excited about it.