A U.S. army foot patrol was ambushed just outside Fallujah at midday Monday, killing one American and injuring five others in the second day of attacks in Fallujah, the American command reported.
The patrol, from the 82nd Airborne Division, was first hit by an exploding homemade bomb, and then by small-arms fire, the military said. U.S. troops then raided a nearby mosque in an apparent search for the attackers and arrested three Iraqis.
It could not be learned immediately whether there were any Iraqi casualties, although two civilian trucks were damaged in the action, including one left dangling on a bridge, apparently from what witnesses said was a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) strike.
The attack took place about 20 yards from the main bridge leading into Fallujah from Baghdad, 35 miles to the east, when about 30 soldiers on foot, accompanied by five Humvees, were on patrol along the highway.
Meanwhile, a letter, purportedly written by toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and which emerged Sunday, called on tribal leaders to launch a jihad, or holy war, against "the hated invaders" and those who cooperate with them.
"I urge you to help your brothers in the resistance. Call the sons of your tribes to the jihad because the day of salvation is near," the message said.
The letter, dated October 9 and bearing Saddam's "signature", was distributed on October 13 to some twenty people in Saddam's ancestral hometown of Tikrit.
The message hailed those who struck at the "invader."
"Your strikes, which they did not expect hurt them. Their demons made them believe Iraq would be just a mouthful. To the contrary, it has been poison for them."
"Victory is near," the note added, urging tribal chiefs to unite. "Strike with an iron fist any person ... who serves the hated invader," it said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
