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âMany casualtiesâ after Baghdad market hit
Edited for relevance.Fourteen civilians died and another 30 were injured in Baghdad when a shopping area was hit during an air raid by US-led coalition forces, the Iraqi authorities say. The BBC's Andrew Gilligan, at the scene in the north of the city, says it appears that two missiles hit a busy parade of shops. An angry crowd of several hundred people gathered in the area following the strike, waving the shoes and clothes of victims. They shouted: "Down with Bush" and "Long live Saddam". Our correspondent says the buildings have been burnt out and their contents scattered over a wide area, while several cars were set on fire. He adds that the nearest military buildings are at least a quarter of a mile away. Reuters news agency correspondents say they have seen at least 15 burnt bodies, while some local people have said the number of dead could be as high as 45. Correspondents say the incident, if confirmed as a coalition attack, is a massive blow to attempts by the US-led forces to minimise civilian casualties during their drive to unseat Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It's a blow, wouldn't go so far as to call it massive. An incident like this is overdue, IMO. It'll go down great on Arab St. No surprises if Sammy arranged this. It is likely to increase anger in the Arab world and beyond about the war. A spokesman for the Royal Air Force said an investigation would be held into the incident. If the market had been hit as a result of coalition action, he said, "we deeply regret the loss of civilian life". Amnesty International has warned that the bombing of Iraqi state television station in Baghdad by US allied forces could be a breach of the Geneva Conventions. Have they been holding their breath for the last week? Wouldn't have wanted to be around for the spittle explosion. Posted by: Bulldog 2003-03-26 |
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