wish we had done as well in singapore

In Singapore the British and Australians surrendered to a much smaller Japanese force after token resistance.



Insurgents fight on in Fallujah's south

Iraqi insurgents are holding out in the city of Fallujah despite a four-day assault that the United States has killed about 600 rebels.

The US military in the city says the rebels are being cornered in the south of the city.

However, correspondents embedded with US forces say the marines are continuing to come under fire in other areas of the city.

The US military says 22 of its soldiers have died in the offensive, with 170 more injured.

The BBC's Jennifer Glasse, who is with one unit of US marines in Fallujah and whose reports are subject to military restrictions, reports that US and Iraqi military officials say 300 people are holed up inside a Fallujah mosque and have asked to leave the city.

US and Iraqi troops are evaluating the group to see if any are insurgents.

They say civilians will be allowed to leave, suspected insurgents will be detained.

US forces already have about 151 detainees, including 15 non-Iraqi fighters. They are from Iran, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

There is one French-speaking militant whose nationality has not been determined.

The commander of the offensive on Falllujah, US Lieutenant General John Sattler says his troops control 80 per cent of the city and have killed about 600 insurgents.

However, troops are still encountering fierce resistance, with a number of insurgents hemmed in in the south of the city.

Marine Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Brandl has described his troops' progress: "The enemy's, we're in his backyard.

"We came in here to reduce this enemy sanctuary and we're doing that.

"We're crushing his back one vertebrae at a time and he's trying to take advantage of any opportunity he can get. We're not giving it to him."

-BBC