Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=9/23/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IRAQ / ATTACK (S-UPDATE)

NUMBER=2-307798

BYLINE=MICHAEL DRUDGE

DATELINE=BAGHDAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: U-S troops have clashed with suspected guerrillas near the volatile western town of Fallujah. Local residents says three Iraqis were killed and three wounded, but the U-S military says it can only confirm one enemy killed. V-O-A's Michael Drudge has more from Baghdad.

TEXT: The fighting erupted around two in the morning Tuesday when the U-S military says troops of the 82nd Airborne Division came under attack in a village outside Fallujah.

A military spokesman says the attackers fled to a building which the American soldiers surrounded. As the gun battle continued, the U-S troops called in air strikes.

Reporters who visited the scene saw what appeared to be bomb craters.

The Fallujah region has been the scene of frequent attacks on U-S forces, and it remains a hotbed of support for the deposed President Saddam Hussein.

In another development, Iraq's governing council reportedly has decided to expel the staffs of Arabic television stations Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.

The stations have been criticized for broadcasting audio taped messages from Saddam Hussein. (Signed).

NEB/MWD/AWP