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Fallujah Flier Puts Price On U.S. Military Officials
$15 Million Reward For Death Of Americans On Flier
A flier being distributed in the Iraqi city of Fallujah puts a hefty price on the heads of top U.S military officials, according to a Local 6 News report.
The flier (pictured, right) offers $15 million for the death of each American pictured, Local 6 News reported.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are pictured on the paper.
Meanwhile, gunfire and mortar blasts were heard for more than an hour Wednesday in Fallujah before three large explosions shook the area as U.S. aircraft circled overhead. A black plume of smoke rose over the area.
The new fighting came a day after a heavy battle in which U.S. warplanes -- including an AC-130 gunship -- and artillery pounded the city in a show of force against Sunni insurgents holed up in a slum. Fallujah has been the focal point of anti-coalition insurgents, and the scene of the largest number of American casualties.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmit said Wednesday the cease-fire -- believed to have expired as heavy shelling began Tuesday night -- remains in effect. He said there have been 11 cease-fire violations by the insurgents over the past 24 hours.
But, Kimmitt said, Marines are ready to take the city by force if need be. He also warned that insurgents are making "a deadly mistake" if they try to strengthen their positions.
Despite three straight days of battles, U.S. officials say they are pushing ahead with negotiations to resolve the Fallujah standoff rather than launch an all-out offensive. Iraqi police took up posts in parts of the city, laying the groundwork for Marine patrols to begin circulating to establish control.
The cease-fire was announced -- and extended twice -- to give insurgents time to heed a request by Fallujah's civic leaders to turn in heavy weapons.
Kimmitt said that during the past 24 hours -- and constant cease-fire violations by insurgents -- no additional weapons have been turned in. Officials have said the only weapons turned in are small arms and old, rusted weapons.
On Thursday, joint U.S.-Iraqi patrols are scheduled to begin in the besieged city. Kimmitt told NBC's "Today" show that Tuesday night's explosions were "a sound and light show." Kimmitt said there were many "secondary" blasts of weapons and ammunition in two trucks targeted by a U.S. warplane
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