U.S. Steps Up Attacks on Iraq Insurgents

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20041012/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

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BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces stepped up operations Tuesday across a wide swath of the Sunni insurgent strongholds northwest of the capital, pounding targets in three urban centers from the air and supporting Iraqi troops in raids on mosques suspected of harboring insurgents.

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U.S. and Iraqi forces appear to have stepped up military activity in the region north and west of Baghdad, a Sunni militant stronghold, ahead of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which saw an upsurge in rebel attacks last year. Ramadan, four weeks when Muslims fast and abstain from sex between dawn and dusk, begins about Oct. 15 with the sighting of a new moon.


More airstrikes were reported near Qaim, where hospital officials said at least 15 Iraqis were killed, and in Hit, where two bodies were brought to a hospital. U.S. officials had no immediate comment on the reported strikes.


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The second blast occurred at 4:02 a.m. and flattened a building in northeastern Fallujah that the military said was a known terrorist safe house. Intelligence sources confirmed that al-Zarqawi associates were using the building at the time of the strike, a military statement said.

....gee, I did not know we had "intelligence sources" in Fallujah!

They're expecting all hell to break out come Ramadan. They're hoping to stop it with some pre-emptive bombing. It's going to be a bad weekend in Iraq.