AMERICAN forces dropped two 500lb bombs and fired rockets at the wall of a mosque in Fallujah, killing many Iraqis, yesterday after insurgents took refuge in the building.

There were unconfirmed reports that 40 Iraqis had died, although Brigadier-General Mark Kimmit, deputy director of operations for the US military in Iraqi, would say only that there was “a large casualty toll”.

He said that insurgents had sought refuge behind the outer wall and that “when you start using a religious location for military purposes, it loses its protected status”.

General Kimmit added that the building had suffered no significant damage.

He vowed to “destroy” the militia of the radical Shia cleric, Hojatoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr, which has been behind the wave of attacks and street fighting in southern cities and Baghdad.

The cleric said that Iraq would become “another Vietnam” for America unless it transferred power to Iraqis unconnected to the US-led occupation authority.

At least 33 Americans, two other coalition soldiers and more than 190 Iraqis have been killed since Sunday.

In a sign of growing anxiety in Washington, Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, said last night that US troops in Iraq would have to extend their tour of duty.

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