American forces bombed a suspected hide-out used by the militant group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Fallujah on Tuesday, and the military said its frequent strikes have taken a toll on the leadership of the Jordanian-born terror leader's network. But in a sign of strength, dozens of militants — some waving banners of al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group — drove freely through the streets of another central Iraqi city, Samarra, where U.S. and Iraqi commanders had claimed success weeks ago in suppressing the insurgency. The gunmen waved automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, stopping cars and taking music tapes from passengers — giving them tapes with recitations from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in exchange.
 U.S. warplanes struck in Fallujah at about 4 a.m., and there was no immediate word on casualties. Early reports showed that no civilians were in the area when the blast went off, the military said. Intelligence reports indicated that the militants targeted in the strike were "rising" associates of al-Zarqawi and "planning attacks using foreign suicide bombers in vehicles rigged with explosives," the military said. The military said weeks of airstrikes in rebel-held Fallujah have exacted a heavy toll on al-Zarqawi's network and intelligence indicates the al-Qaida-linked group has been forced to reorganize its leadership. Last week, the death of a top deputy to al-Zarqawi, Abu al-Anas al-Shami, was reported slain in a U.S. strike just outside Baghdad, and his father confirmed the death. |