Three marines die in booby-trapped building in Fallujah: officer

FALLUJAH (AFP) - Three marines have been killed in an explosion as they entered a booby-trapped building in central Fallujah, while another 13 were wounded in a firefight nearby, a marine officer said.
Of the 13, 10 were seriously injured in the gun battle just south of the main road that cuts through the centre of the Sunni Muslim bastion, the officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The latest deaths bring to at least 25 the number of US troops who have been killed in the fight for Fallujah, which was launched on Monday.
Five Iraqi soldiers have also died along with more than 1,000 rebels.
On Saturday, Iraq's top security official said the battle for the restive city had been completed and only stubborn pockets of resistance remained.
But US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the comments were premature, while US commanders insisted that the largest military operation in Iraq since last year's US-led invasion was still going on.

11/14/2004 - 06:48 GMT - AFP