"Violent military action by an occupying power against inhabitants of an occupied country will only make matters worse," the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, warned yesterday. "It's definitely time now for those who prefer restraint and dialogue to make their voices heard."
Mohsen Abdul-Hamid, a member of the US-appointed Iraqi governing council, has also called for a halt to attacks on Falluja. He said that if the US refused to stop its offensive, his Iraqi Islamic party would consider withdrawing from the council.
US warplanes yesterday dropped laser-guided bombs on guerrilla targets as battles broke out in several parts of the city, including areas that had previously been relatively quiet.
Witnesses reported that at least 25 buildings had been destroyed. At least 10 people were injured in the fighting, hospital officials said today.
One Falluja resident, Hassan al-Maadhidi, returned to the city after fleeing earlier fighting, and said he was distraught when he saw the devastation wrought by the latest onslaught.
"I returned to see houses destroyed, streets empty and shops bombarded," he told the Associated Press, adding that he was considering fleeing the city again. |
