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Lt. Gen. John Sattler, commanding general of the
1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said 51 U.S. troops and eight Iraqi security
forces have died in the Falluja offensive.
About 1,200 insurgents have been killed in the
battle, he said.
Although Falluja is secured, troops remain busy
conducting mopping up operations and engaging in sporadic fights with holdout
insurgents in the city.
Sattler said U.S. and Iraqi troops are "ubiquitous"
throughout the city.
"Falluja is secure, but we're in that
search-and-clear phase which will make it safe," he said.
"We've commenced the clean-up operation" and
humanitarian assistance is being moved into the town.
About 25 to 30 injured civilians in the city have
been treated for injuries, Sattler said, adding that he knows of no civilians
killed in the fighting.
He said more than 1,000 suspects have been
captured. Some have been released after questioning.
Thair al-Nakib, a spokesman for interim Iraqi Prime
Minister Ayad Allawi, said the battle for Falluja has been won by U.S. and Iraqi
forces and that the city is no longer a terror
stronghold.
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