Rebels blow up an oil well; Five Iraqis killed in fighting between insurgents and U.S. forces

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Insurgents bombed an oil well in northern Iraq, sparking a fire that raged for 24 hours before being extinguished, a senior Iraqi security official said. West of Baghdad, U.S. Marines and gunmen fought an hourlong battle Friday that left five Iraqis dead and six others wounded, a doctor said.

The dead included an Iraqi television cameraman, hospital officials said. His identity was withheld pending notification of next of kin. The U.S. military had no comment on the fighting and it was unknown who killed the cameraman. A doctor said he was shot once in the head.

The fighting occurred in the town of Fallujah in the so-called Sunni Triangle, where support for Saddam Hussein was strong and rebels often carry out attacks against American forces.

Witnesses said heavy gunfire and explosions were heard when Marines moved into the center of the city. American troops rarely venture into downtown Fallujah, one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq for the U.S. military.

After the battle, Marines patrolled on foot. The city was largely deserted with shops shuttered and residents staying indoors. U.S. troops blocked the city's entrance.

Diyaa al-Jumailee, a doctor at Fallujah hospital, said five Iraqis were killed and six wounded. A U.S. military spokeswomen in Baghdad said she had no information on the clash.

This week, Marines took over authority in the area from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division.

The blast on the Northern Oil Company well in the Khabaz area, about 55 miles west of Kirkuk, occurred Wednesday night, said Gen. Mohammed Amin, the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps chief in Kirkuk. The fire was extinguished late Thursday.

The well was not being tapped at the time of the blast and was not closely guarded, he said.

"This is a terrorist act. This is the first time an oil well has come under attack in Kirkuk," Amin said.

He accused remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime of being behind the attack, but offered no proof. The attack "is a sign that some strategic locations will be attacked. So, we are going to tighten security on places that are considered national resources."

Kirkuk is one of Iraq's main oil producing regions. Rebels have targeted the oil industry in the country's north and south, blowing up pipelines, killing oil workers and firing rockets at the oil ministry building in Baghdad.