HELICOPTERS FLEW OVER THE IRAQI TOWN OF RAMADI AND WARPLANES COULD BE HEARD OVERHEAD AS U.S. TROOPS HUNTED DOWN INSURGENTS IN THE REBEL STRONGHOLD ON MONDAY, A REUTERS WITNESS SAID. HE SAID SEVEN TANKS MOVED ALONG MASARIF STREET AND JULY 17 STREET. TWO EXPLOSIONS WERE HEARD BUT THE CAUSE WAS NOT CLEAR. SHOPS WERE SHUTTERED AND MOST RESIDENTS STAYED HOME, FEARING A U.S. OFFENSIVE ON THE SCALE OF THE ONE THAT INFLICTED HEAVY DESTRUCTION AND LOSS OF LIFE IN NEARBY FALLUJA IN 2004. THE U.S. MILITARY ESTIMATED THAT ITS FORCES HAD KILLED ABOUT 2,000 INSURGENTS. FALLUJA RESIDENTS SAID THOUSANDS WERE KILLED. "I CAN'T OPEN MY SHOP. EVERYBODY EXPECTS THE AMERICANS TO INVADE THE CITY. I ALREADY TOOK MOST OF THE MATERIALS IN MY SHOP AND HID THEM IN MY HOUSE BECAUSE THE AMERICANS COULD SHOOT OR BURN MY SHOP," SAID GROCERY SHOP OWNER FAISAL GHAZI, 50. "THE WATER IS TOTALLY CUT OFF. WE HAVE TO GO TO THE RIVER TO GET WATER. THERE HAS BEEN NO WATER FOR 24 HOURS AND WE HAVE NO GAS TO BOIL THE RIVER WATER TO DRINK IT," SAID ALI HUSSEIN MOHAMMED, 45.
