Sunday 14 November 2004, 21:14 Makka Time, 18:14 GMT
The US military has lost 31 soldiers so far in the ground and air assault on Falluja, according to the marine commander who planned the offensive.
The operation has proceeded quicker than expected, with the entire city occupied after six days of fighting, Marine Major-General Richard Natonski said.
He said he and other commanders learned from April's failed three-week marine assault on Falluja, which was called off by the Bush administration after a worldwide outcry over civilian deaths.
This time, the military sent in six times as many troops and 20 types of aircraft. Troops also faked attacks before the assault to confuse enemy anti-US fighters.
"Maybe we learned from April," Natonski said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We learned we can't do it piecemeal. When we go in, we go all the way through. We had the green light this time and we went all the way."
Elsewhere on Sunday, eyewitnesses reported a large explosion in Baghdad near hotels frequented by foreigners and Aljazeera reported the downing of a US helicopter near Falluja.