Insurgents escaped Fallujah

Many of the hard-core militants that forced the Marine Corps to pull out of Fallujah last month have escaped to continue fighting American troops, leaving the one-time hotbed of resistance largely quiet in recent days, US military and intelligence officials said.

The insurgents apparently slipped out despite the US's efforts to cordon off the city, according to reports from officers that that have joined Iraqi security forces in patrolling the city.