SAMARRA, Iraq (AFP) - US and Iraqi forces killed dozens of insurgents in a thrust into the restive Iraqi town of Samarra where the US military said its troops had seized back the city hall and police stations.
The attack was aimed at reclaiming one of the insurgent areas in the Sunni Muslim triangle ahead of nationwide parliamentary elections planned for January.
The US military said the offensive was in response to what it called "repeated and unprovoked attacks by anti-Iraqi forces" (US military terminology for insurgents) and had "secured the government and police buildings in Samarra".
US troops and one battalion each from the Iraqi army and national guard stormed the city before dawn on Friday. Tanks rumbled in the streets and AC-130 helicopter gunships roared overhead.
Clashes flared between gunmen and soldiers in the city centre around the Imam Ali al-Hadi shrine.
Smoke billowed in the sky as the soldiers and insurgents traded fire on the hallowed ground, sacred to Shiites, who still come on pilgrimage to visit the mosque in the heartland of the Sunni Muslim insurgency.
The military said it did not know if there was any damage to the shrine.
A US spokesman claimed soldiers had killed 94 insurgents and wounded one in the fighting. Past tolls given by the military have often proven over-estimates.
"The latest numbers have gone up. We have an estimated 94 fatalities and one wounded," said Master Sergeant Robert Powell of the 1st Infantry Division.
Three US soldiers were wounded and five Iraqi fighters detained in the fighting, he added.
Samarra medical officials earlier gave more conservative figures.
"We have received 20 killed and 35 wounded in the fighting," said Dr Khalid Ahmed at Samarra`s main hospital.
A US helicopter was hit by enemy fire but landed safely on a US base, Powell said, adding there were no casualties.
An AFP correspondent in the city said many homes were destroyed in Samarra`s Al-Jubairiya and Al-Qadisiyah neighbourhoods.
Violence initially flared Thursday night when US soldiers spotted three speed boats unloading explosives on the bank of the Tigris river, said Powell. A gunfight ensued and several insurgents were killed.
Insurgents in one boat then fired off mortars into the city and US forces opened fire, killing four of them, he added.
Hours later, US troops moved into the heart of the city and fighting raged.
The governor of Salahuddin province, where Samarra is located, warned on Thursday that new fighting risked plunging surrounding towns into violence.
"I have ... warned the Americans if there is any violence in Balad and Duluiya it is because of what is happening in Samarra," said Governor Hamed Hamud al-Qaissy, referring to nearby towns.
Qaissy had said Thursday that local Iraqi officials were close to brokering to allow Americans to return to Samarra.
"An agreement will be announced soon ... A previous signed plan with the coalition will be ready to work again, and I will tell you as soon as its finished," Qaissy said.
However, the military strike went ahead.