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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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May 22nd,
2008 - U.S. Airstrike Kills Iraqi Children |
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U.S. Airstrike Kills Iraqi
Children Attack North Of Baghdad Aimed At Al Qaeda Fighters Kills Eight
Civilians By CBS News May 22nd, 2008 A U.S. helicopter strike
north of Baghdad killed eight civilians, including several children, an Iraqi
police official said Thursday. The U.S. military said the strike targeted al
Qaeda fighters but acknowledged children died. Associated Press TV News
footage showed the bodies of three children in blood-drenched clothes, along
with the bodies of five men, at the hospital in Beiji, where the dead were
taken after Wednesday evening's strike. Beiji police Col. Mudhher
al-Qaisi said the eight were civilian farmers who were fleeing in their
vehicle from an area outside the town where U.S. forces were conducting
raids. He said the helicopter became suspicious of the vehicle and opened
fire. The U.S. military said U.S.
forces were targeting an al Qaeda in Iraq weapons storage facility believed
connected to a suicide bombing network. It said the helicopter opened fire on
the vehicle when some of its occupants "exhibited hostile intent,"
and that children in the vehicle were killed. The military statement did
not specify the total number of people killed or elaborate on how the vehicle
showed hostile intent. It and al-Qaisi said two children were killed, and the
reason for the discrepancy with the footage from the hospital was not known. The U.S. military
"sincerely regrets when any innocent civilians are injured, resulting
from terrorists locating themselves in and around them. We take every
precaution to protect innocent civilians and engage only hostile
threats," said spokesman Col. Jerry O'Hara in the statement. The civilian deaths could
strain ties between the U.S. military and Sunni Arabs who have turned against
al Qaeda in Iraq and have joined American forces in fighting Sunni insurgents
in regions west and north of Baghdad. Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, lies
in a largely Sunni Arab area. External link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/22/iraq/main4118220.shtml |