11/11/2004 9:30:00 PM GMT
At least 600 Iraqi fighters have been killed in the U.S.-led deadly offensive in Fallujah, the U.S. military estimates, adding that succeeding in Fallujah military operations won't break the Iraqi resistance.
Also several American soldiers have been wounded in the U.S.-Iraqi assault in Fallujah, and sent to the military's main hospital in Europe.
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany is expecting to receive not less than 90 wounded U.S. troops on Thursday. The center said it has received earlier this week another 125 soldiers.
The huge number of wounds among the American soldiers indicates that that Iraqi resistance has proved to be stronger — at least in some areas — than what the U.S. initially thought. Only seriously wounded troops are flown to Landstuhl.
About 13 U.S. soldiers and Marines have been killed so far in the Fallujah assault, according to military reports. The U.S. military, however, has been slow in giving official, comprehensive reports, on Fallujah casualties.
Military officials suggest that the figure of 600 Fallujah fighters killed was a rough estimate.
The U.S. commanders believe that between 1,200 and 3,000 fighters were hiding in the city before the launch of offensive on Monday. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers said Thursday that "hundreds and hundreds of insurgents" have been killed or captured.
The exact number of Fallujah civilian casualties remains unknown. Most of Fallujah’s 200,000-300,000 residents have fled before the offensive, seeking safer shelter. The rest are imprisoned in their homes without electricity during days of heavy barrages, with food supplies reported low.