enter iraqi resistance

In Falluja yesterday Iraqis with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a unit of American armoured vehicles. The troops returned fire, killing two men and capturing six.

"Initial reports indicate the attackers fired from a mosque in the city," the US military said in a statement. But Iraqis in Falluja insisted the attack had taken place far from the town's mosques.

Many in Falluja, 30 miles west of Baghdad, are still sympathetic to Saddam Hussein and are deeply resentful of the US presence. Last month, shortly after the end of the war, American troops fired into crowds of protesters on two occasions, killing 18 people and injuring at least 78.