U.S. Says Falluja Air Strike Killed Zarqawi Aide

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=721&e=1&u=/nm/20041026/wl_nm/iraq_dc


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A U.S. statement said the "precision strike" in northwest Falluja at 3 a.m. (2000 EDT) had hit a safe house used by the Jordanian militant's al Qaeda-linked movement, adding that a known, but unnamed, Zarqawi associate was present at the time.


Residents said the raid had destroyed one house and damaged three. Hospital staff said they had received no casualties.


Witnesses said U.S. troops shot dead a civilian driver near a checkpoint on a highway to Jordan that runs past Falluja. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.


Many families have fled Falluja, fearing a widely expected U.S. offensive designed to bring the city under the interim government's control before elections planned for January.