(Los Angeles Times, April 5, 2004, Pg. 1)
Thousands of Marines surrounded the anti-American stronghold of Fallouja and began moving in to retake control of the Iraqi city and apprehend those responsible for last week's slayings of four U.S. security contractors. The highly anticipated action, dubbed Operation Valiant Resolve, was expected to be one of the biggest military offensives since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government a year ago.