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WORLDNEWS Insurgents storm police stations in Mosul By TINITRAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD, Iraq — Insurgents stormed two police stations Sunday in the strife-ridden city of Mosul, killing at least six Iraqi troops as attacks spread throughout Sunni Muslim areas following the U.S.-led assault on Fallujah. Marines found the mutilated body of a Western woman as they Searched for militants still holding out in Fallujah, the former Sunni insurgent stronghold. The woman could not be immediately identified, but a British aide worker and a Pole are the only Western women known to have been taken hostage. At least 38 American troops and six Iraqi soldiers have been killed in the fighting in Fallujah. The number of U.S. troops wounded is now 275, though more than 60 have returned to duty. U.S. officials estimated more than .1,200 insurgents were killed in the weeklong fighting. “The perception of Fallujah being a safe haven for terrorists, that perception and the reality of it will be completely wiped off before the conclusion of this operation,” said Lt. Gen. John Satder, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. forces have spread throughout the city although it could take several more days of fighting before the city is secured, American officials said. U.S. forces on Sunday attacked a bunker complex in southern Fallujah where they discovered a network of steel-reinforced tunnels filled with weapons, an anti aircraft artillery gun, bunk beds, a truck and a suspected weapons cache, according to a statement from the U.S. military. U.S. aircraft attacked insurgents hiding “in numerous buildings throughout the city,” the statement added. Fighting in Fallujah was ebbing, but insurgent attacks appeared to escalate elsewhere in Sunni Muslim areas of central and northern Iraq. Saboteurs set fire Sunday to four oil wells in Iraq’s northern fields, setting off successive explosions in Khabbaza, 12 miles northwest of Kirkuk, oil officials said. Heavy explosions rattled central Baghdad near the Palestine and Sheraton hotels after nightfall Sunday, followed by bursts of sporadic gunfire. The U.S. military said initial reports indicated rockets or mortars had struck the area, killing two Iraqis and wounding another. About an hour later, about four more large explosions rocked the Green Zone, headquarters of the U.S. and Iraqi leadership. At least one private security guard was killed. Clashes were also reported on Haifa Street, a center of insurgent support in the heart of the capital. More than a dozen insurgents attacked the Polish Embassy in Baghdad with automatic weapons Sunday, and embassy guards returned fire in an exchange that lasted for a half hour, a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Warsaw. No one was reported killed or wounded. In Mosul, where an uprising broke out last week in support of the Fallujah defenders, militants raided two police stations, killing at least six Iraqi National Guards and wounding three others. One insurgent was killed and three others were wounded before Iraqi security forces regained control of both stations, witnesses said. Insurgents also set fire to the governor’s house, destroying it and damaging his car in northern Mosul. Governor Duraid Kashmoula also said the curfew will continue to be imposed on the city from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the morning. A gunbattle erupted Sunday between militants and U.S. troops in the main market in the northern town of Beiji, killing at least six people and wounding 20 others, according to witnesses. The clash followed an attack in Beiji against American soldiers, who responded with tank rounds and Hellfire missiles, the U.S. military said. A dozen explosions rocked an American base in the western part of Ramadi, about 30 miles west of Fallujah, after insurgents fired missiles. Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke billowing from the base. One U.S. soldier was injured when a suicide bomber blew up his car near a U.S. convoy traveling between Balad and ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. Marines of the 1st Division take up position as they advance in the western part of Fallujah, Iraq. The U.S. military’s ground and air assault of Fallujah has gone quicker than expected, with the entire city occupied after six days of fighting, the Marine commander who planned the offensive said Sunday. Tikrit, the military said. A Bradley fighting vehicle was damaged by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, injuring one soldier, the military said. One Marine and an Iraqi soldier were hurt when five mortar shells struck a checkpoint outside Fallujah. In an interview with Iraqi television Sunday, interim Prime Minister Allawi defended his decision to order the attack on Fallujah, saying he decided to strike after security forces arrested “two very important” terrorist organizations. He did not elaborate. Allawi said up to 400 insurgents have been captured, including fighters from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Morocco but he gave no figures. Despite the ongoing violence, Allawi ordered Baghdad International Airport to reopen Sunday and opened all but one border crossing with Syria. They were closed under a state of emergency announced Nov. 7 on the eve of the Fallujah attack. In Fallujah, Marines reopened the infamous bridge over the Euphrates River where Iraqis strung up the charred bodies of two American contractors in March. The brutal slaying and mutilation of the four Blackwater Security Consulting employees touched off a Marine assault in April. That fight was halted but U.S. forces attacked again this week, retaking Fallujah and its bridge from rebels. “It’s symbolic, because the insurgents closed the bridge and we rfeopened it,” said Maj. Todd Des Grosseilliers, of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines , before Marines rolled away a coil of concertina wire and crossed the span over the Euphrates River on foot. On Sunday, Marine and Army units were still battling small bands of militants scattered in buildings and bunkers across the Sunni Muslim stronghold. Behind them, Iraqi troops were painstakingly clearing weapons and fighters from every room of Fallujah’s estimated 50,000 buildings. ABC pool video footage showed Marines continuing to search door-to door, blowing the gates off houses with explosives. A bit of bright color stood out on one of the city’s ubiquitous gray, rubble-strewn streets, a pink dress on the body of a small child crumpled next to the curb. Sunni Muslim militants have cut a swath of terror across the country with a string of recent high-profile kidnappings^ The disemboweled body of thv * woman was wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket on a street in Fallujah, Marines said. Margaret Hasson, 59, director of CARE international in Iraq, and Teresa Borcz Khalifa, 54, a Polish-born longtime resident of Iraq, were abducted last month but the body could not be identified without further tests. NASSER SHIYOUKHI/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Palestine Authority Chairman Mahmud Abbas leaves the former headquarters of Yasser Arafat in.the west bank city df Ramallah. Abbas escapes gunmen attack By IBRAHIM BARZAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Mahmoud Abbas, temporary successor to Yasser Arafat, was attacked in his mourning tent by militants Sunday, but escaped the gunmen, who melted into the crowd outside. Abbas has been trying to send a message of unity since Arafat’s death Thursday. Arafat’s responsibilities were divided among several leaders, and officials held talks with rival factions in Arafat’s Fatah movement and the militant opposition groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. However, those rivalries burst into the open minutes after Abbas, the new PLO chief, entered the Gaza City mourning tent, where some 10,000 people, including about 3,000 armed men, most of them police officers, gathered Sunday evening. Abbas, accompanied by Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan and surrounded by security guards, shook hands with mourners. Moments later, a group of at least 20 gunmen barged into the tent shouting, “Abbas and Dahlan are agents for the Americans!" Gunfire then popped through the tent. It appears most of the shots were fired in the air, the casualty toll likely would have been far higher had the gunmen taken aim at the large crowd. Abbas’ bodyguards husded him into a corner as frightened mourners scrambled over plastic chairs to flee. Abbas was taken to Palestinian headquarters. The gunmen reportedly melted into the gigantic crowd and escaped arrest. Speaking to reporters, Abbas tried to play down the incident. “While we were receiving condolences, a huge crowd gathered there and then random shooting broke out, but not in my direction,” he said. Abbas said he did not hear any slogans against him and planned to continue talks with rival Palestinian factions. Abbas has tried in the past, as prime minister, to persuade militants to halt attacks on Israel. However, militants signaled Sunday they were not interested in a cease-fire. In a Gaza City parade, masked militants unveiled a new rocket, which they claimed had an extended range that could reach the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. The long, green “Al-Yasser 1 ” rocket, named after Arafat, was shown to a cheering crowd as Palestinian security looked on. Sunday’s - shooting raised questions about the ability of the Palestinians to carry out their election peacefully. Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, is widely expected to run for Palestinian Authority president. However, victory is far from certain. None of the likely candidates, including Abbas, has the stature of Arafat, and many Palestinians consider Abbas’ generation of politicians to be tainted by corruption and out of touch with the masses. “They realize very clearly that without a popular mandate, they can’t make any important decisions,” said Mouin Rabbani, senior Middle East analyst with the International Crisis Group in Amman, Jordan. Abbas is expected to be a nominee of Arafat’s dominant Fatah movement, but not necessarily the only one. He told the Arab satellite TV station A1 Jazeera that Fatah would soon choose a candidate. Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the Palestinian uprising who is jailed by Israel, plans to run, according to a person close to him. In recent opinion polls^| J Barghouti emerged as the most popular politician after Arafat. Abdel Sattar Qassem, a political science professor and political outsider, said he plans to run as an independent candidate. Qassem, a leading Arafat critic, said his campaign would focus on cleaning up corruption in the Palestinian Authority. The largest opposition group, Hamas, also is considering whether to field a candidate. Who emerges as the winner could • largely depend on Israel and whether Abbas can produce results during the next two months. Israeli officials say privately they would like to bolster Abbas, but fear any public embrace of him will weaken his standing. Palestinian officials called for international pressure on Israel to easej | conditions in Palestinian areas to permit^ " the vote to go smoothly. Once in a Lifetime Opportunity The Government of Japan Invites Young Graduates to Spend a Year Teaching English in Japan Now accepting applications for the 2005 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. Deadline is December 1,2004. For more information contact the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta at www.japanatlanta.org or by phone at 404-240-4300. All majors welcome to apply. Must have a bachelor’s degree by July 1, 2005. Knowledge of Japanese NOT required. Participants receive a substantial stipend, benefits and free roundtrip airfare to Japan. .ft r ^ { I II8R100 II - Credit Course | looking For Information? I Looking For Research Skills? ■ looking for One Credit? I The University Libraries have just what you’re ■ looking for! For Spring 2005, we're offering a 1 I credit course (which will meet once a week, for 50 1 minutes) called Information Literacy. I - Find the statistics, articles, books, I government documents, websites, etc that _ you need-not just the first three that I pop up on a search ■ - Evaluate sources, arguments, and biases ■ - Know the why, when, and how of citing I sources - Determine what’s worth using, what's I worth further investigation, and what's just I plain worthless! 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