U.S. offensive targets city

It is unclear if the assault is part of a larger push to retake insurgent strongholds.
SAMARRA, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major assault today to regain control of the insurgent stronghold of Samarra, trading gunfire with rebel fighters as they pushed toward the city center. The United States said 96 insurgents were killed.
Troops of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, Iraqi national guard and Iraqi army moved into Samarra after midnight in a bid to secure government and police buildings in the city 60 miles north of Baghdad. As they advanced, insurgents attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, a military statement said.
Master Sgt. Robert Powell, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, said 96 insurgents were believed killed during today's clashes. Dr. Khalid Ahmed said at least 80 bodies and more than 100 wounded were brought to Samarra General Hospital, but it was not immediately clear how many of them were insurgents. The hospital was running out of bandages, oxygen and other supplies, Ahmed said.
One American soldier was killed and four were wounded, Powell said.
It was not known if the push into Samarra represented the start of a larger campaign to retake several cities that insurgents have rendered "no-go" zones for U.S. and Iraqi troops. Officials have said that recapturing those cities is key before nationwide elections scheduled for the end of January.
The offensive came a day after a string of bombings across the country that killed at least 51 people, including 35 children in a series of blasts as U.S. troops handed out candy at a government-sponsored celebration to inaugurate a sewage plant in Baghdad.
The scene
Residents cowered in their homes as tanks and warplanes pounded Samarra. The sound of shelling mixed with the crackle of automatic gunfire continued into the morning. At least three houses were flattened and dozens of cars charred, residents said.
"We are terrified by the violent approach used by the Americans to subdue the city," said Mahmoud Saleh, a 33-year-old civil servant. "My wife and children are scared to death and they have not been able to sleep since last night. I hope that the fighting ends as soon as possible."
During the push, soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division rescued a kidnapped Turkish construction worker who was being held in the city. He was identified as Yahlin Kaya, an employee of the 77 Construction Company in Samarra.
U.S. and Iraqi forces blocked the roads into the city to prevent insurgents from moving in and out, said Maj. Neal O'Brien, another spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division.
Boats destroyed
As Iraqi forces secured the Samarra bridge, American soldiers observed insurgents in speedboats loading ordnance on the banks of the Tigris River, the military statement said. Soldiers fired warning shots and the insurgents returned fire, prompting U.S. forces to destroy the boats, killing their occupants, the statement said.
Smoke was seen rising from the area around the Imam Ali al-Hadi and Imam Hassan al-Askari shrine, raising fears for one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims. O'Brien said the shrine was not damaged and Iraqi forces had secured the site.
"Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces will do everything possible to protect the valuable site from damage," he said.
Along with U.S. troops, soldiers from the 202nd Iraqi National Guard Battalion and 7th Iraqi Army Battalion were taking part in the operation. Such formations would normally involve several thousand troops.
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