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Iraqi family wiped out or IED team blasted?
Fourteen members of one family have been killed in a US air strike that destroyed a house in northern Iraq, an Iraqi official has said. An Iraqi official from the body that liaises between Iraqi and US forces said the attack occurred in Baiji, 200km (125 miles) north of Baghdad. The US military has made no immediate comment on the report. US forces frequently use air strikes in their battle against Iraqi insurgents, in an effort to minimise US casualties. Ghadban Nahd Hassan, 56, told AFP news agency that 14 members of his family had been in the house when it was it bombed. "I was with some friends in a small shop 100m away from the house when I heard the bombing at around 2130 (1830 GMT)," he said. "I rushed over to see. My house was destroyed and there was smoke everywhere." So far, the bodies of a nine-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl, three women and three men have been found in the rubble. Is this the same event: January 3, 2006 Release Number: 06-01-03 AIR SUPPORT PREEMPTS POSSIBLE IED EMPLACEMENT TIKRIT, Iraq â Coalition forces reconnaissance aircraft observed three men suspected of emplacing an improvised explosive device digging in a road near Bayji after 9:00 p.m. on Jan.2, prompting a military response against them. An unmanned aerial vehicle from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division observed the would-be attackers as they dug a hole following the common pattern of road-side bomb emplacement. The individuals were assessed as posing a threat to Iraqi civilians and coalition forces, and the location of the three men was relayed to close air support pilots. The individuals left the road site and were followed from the air to a nearby building. Coalition forces employed precision guided munitions on the structure. Local Iraqi police were the first authorities at the scene to conduct post-event response. Posted by: Glenmore 2006-01-03 |
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