The American supported Iraqi government has rushed reinforcements to the city of Mosul as insurgents there continued to lead an uprising that has caused the government to lose control of the streets. Worse yet, there are fears that the violence in Mosul demonstrates coordination between groups of insurgents and was done deliberately to alleviate pressure on insurgents now battling American and Iraqi forces in Fallujah.

The police in Mosul simply disappeared off the streets and allowed gangs of armed men to control them according to one report. The police chief of the city was dismissed and questions have arisen with regard to possible complicity between police and the insurgents.

The U.S. army was not surprised by the violence elsewhere. 'With the start of operations in Fallujah a few days ago, we expected that there would be some reaction here in Mosul,' said Brigadier General Carter Ham, commander of U.S. forces in Mosul.

Meanwhile, leaders of the insurgency continued to urge their followers to fight on against the Americans and their allies.

Saif al-Deen al-Baghdadi told al-Jazeera television, 'We chose the path of armed jihad and say clearly that ridding Iraq of the occupation will not be done by ballots. Ayad Allawi's government ... represents the fundamentalist right-wing of the White House and not the Iraqi people.'

While American forces seem to be on the verge of gaining control over Fallujah, violence continues to rage elsewhere in Iraq. It will likely be a long time before the violence in Iraq comes to a close.