http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2574074A-F4E3-40E1-8922-6E2EAD5576CB.htm<snip>
The US military played down the assault.
Captain Patrick Kerr of the US Marines said: "Reports of insurgents taking control of Ramadi are completely unsubstantiated.There have been a few sporadic small-
arms engagements, but nothing out of the ordinary."
Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, is a base for Sunni Arab-led fighters. After US forces crushed Falluja in an offensive in November last year, many moved west to Ramadi and other towns on the Euphrates.
US and Iraqi forces sent more than 2,000 soldiers and Marines into Hit and surrounding towns in the area on Wednesday to track down militants and try to restore security before parliamentary elections on 15 December.
Residents of Hit demonstrated against the offensive on Thursday, complaining about excessive force and calling on foreign troops to leave their city, local police said.
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