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US bombards Falluja 'militants'
At least 15 people have been killed in a joint US-Iraqi attack on militant positions in the restive Iraqi city of Falluja, according to hospital sources. US artillery bombarded several districts, before circling warplanes opened fire, witnesses said. The US military said it had "accurately targeted" militants from a group linked to al-Qaeda, but there were reports that civilians were among the dead. It comes a day after 70 people were killed in fighting across Iraq. "Intelligence sources reported the presence of several key [Abu Musab] Zarqawi operatives who have been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Security Forces and multinational forces," a US military statement said. It said, "Iraqi Security Forces and multinational forces effectively and accurately targeted these terrorists while protecting the lives of innocent civilians", without saying where the strike took place. An AFP reporter said he had seen 15 bodies laid out for burial. Falah Abdullah, an undertaker at the cemetery in Falluja, told AFP an ambulance driver and two nurses were among those killed when an ambulance was hit. Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-09-13 |
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