The US military said Sunday 38 of its soldiers have been killed and 275 others wounded in the week-long battle to retake the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah. 

Some 1,200 insurgents have been killed in the offensive against Fallujah since it began on Nov. 7, the military said, adding 450 to 550 were captured.

The US forces claimed that most parts of the city have been "liberated," though there were pockets of fierce resistance. Fallujah, 50 km west of Baghdad, lies in the Sunni Muslim heartland in central Iraq.

The US military and the interim Iraqi government vowed to retake the key rebel stronghold to pave way for the general elections slated for January.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2004)