RAMADI, US BOMBINGS CAUSE VICTIMS

IRAQ, “Thirty eight corpses have arrived in our hospital, including four children and five women,” said doctor Ahmed al-Kubaissy of the Ramadi hospital, explaining that the relatives of the “victims said they were killed during the bombings in their homes and in the street”.

For two days, air raids by the US led coalition hit Ramadi, the stronghold of the Iraqi rebels in the so-called Sunni Triangle some 110 km. west of Baghdad. According to an official from the Iraqi government in Ramadi, during the air raids " between yesterday and Sunday " at least 14 civilians died inside their homes, while another dozen was badly wounded. “I would like to tell you all I know but I cannot,” said the officer to ’Irin News’, asking for anonymity. “I cannot remain silent but " he said " the fact that it was a cowardly action and even if a few combatants were killed, too many civilians have been buried with them in the last two days”. In a communique, the US command says that in the attack in Ramadi some 70 suspects were killed.

Despite the direct eyewitness accounts, lieutenant Steven Boylan, spokesman of the US coalition in Iraq said, “there are no civilian victims that we are aware of”. [AB]

MISNA misna@misna.org