| U.S. forces consolidated their grip on Falluja on Thursday, though they were still meeting some resistance, U.S. Marines and witnesses said. "There are large numbers of U.S. forces across Falluja, based on information from tanks going in and out, and from radio traffic," Marine Master Sergeant Roy Meek told Reuters. Meek, part of a tank company operating in northwest Falluja, was speaking after Marine artillery resumed shelling targets in the nearby Jolan district, scene of some of the fiercest fighting since a full-scale assault on Falluja began on Monday. Another Marine, who asked not to be named, said he had seen large concentrations of U.S. soldiers, Marines and support units gathering on the main highway that runs just east of Falluja. |