Navy to name ship after Marine battles in Fallujah, Iraq

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy’s next amphibious assault ship will be named after the city of Fallujah, which saw some of the bloodiest battles in the Iraq war. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro says the USS Fallujah will commemorate what have become known as the “First and Second Battles of Fallujah.” It’s a tradition to name the assault ships after Marine Corps battles or other early sailing ships and aircraft carriers. The city became the base for an anti-government Sunni insurgency after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein. Al-Qaida militants fought two bloody battles with U.S. troops in Fallujah in 2004 that killed more than 100 Americans and wounded more than 1,000.