which is it?
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“Fears of an imminent offensive by the US troops massed around the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi intensified Saturday, with residents pouring out of the city to escape what they describe as a mounting humanitarian crisis”, the June 11 Los Angeles Times reported.
US troops had “cordoned off” the city of 400,000, located 110 kilometres west of Baghdad, by June 10, residents and Iraqi officials told the LA Times. US air strikes on residential areas were escalating, and US troops took to the streets on June 10 with loudspeakers to warn civilians of a fierce impending attack, Ramadi police Captain Tahseen Dulaimi said.
“US military officials refused to confirm or deny reports that a Ramadi offensive was underway”, the LA Times reported.
“The situation is catastrophic”, said Sheik Fassal Gaood, the former governor of Anbar province, whose capital is Ramadi. Correspondents in Ramadi for Islam Memo, a Saudi Arabia-based Islamist website, reported on June 6 that the US military had cut off all electricity to the city as well as drinking water, and had closed all the petrol stations.
“Residents have been particularly unnerved by the recent arrival of 1500 US troops sent to reinforce the US troops already stationed in the city”, the LA Times reported, adding: “Street battles between
troops and insurgents have been raging for months, but the troops’ deployment left residents bracing for a mass offensive to take the town back from insurgents.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/672/672p16b.htm