Air strikes in Fallujah targeted Iraqi militants

A month of U.S. airstrikes on rebel-held Fallujah has killed more than 100 suspected insurgents, taking a heavy toll on the terror network of Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, senior U.S. military officials said on Sunday.

The strikes have stopped attacks elsewhere in Iraq while setting off deadly feuds among insurgent groups holed up in the city west of Baghdad, said &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/columnists/2002/11/04/39101.html' target=_blank>Air Force Brig. Gen. Erv Lessel, deputy operations director for U.S.-led forces here.

"We're confident that, through these airstrikes, we have been able to thwart many large-scale attacks and suicide bombings that were in the planning process," Lessel said in a briefing with reporters. "We've gotten some of his associates and emerging leadership in his organization.", Boston Globe reported.

According to the ABC News, United States air strikes in Fallujah have left 15 dead while an insurgent attack in another troubled Sunni town has killed 10 more, as Britain and Egypt stepped up efforts to secure the release of hostages in Iraq.

The latest &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2001/02/17/2563.html' target=_blank>air strike targeted what commanders said was a meeting place for militants of suspected Al Qaeda operative Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group, which is holding Briton Kenneth Bigley hostage.

Medics in the town, west of Baghdad, said women and children were among the casualties.

Two hospitals in the city reported receiving eight dead and 22 wounded, while residents said many victims remained under the rubble.

Two British &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/columnists/2002/08/13/34419.html' target=_blank>Muslim leaders made an emotional appeal in Baghdad on Sunday for the release of British hostage Kenneth Bigley saying he was a "victim like civilians in Fallujah."