Iraq Charges Allied Air Raids Killed Eight Civilians
ICEJ NEWS – 09/10/2001
Iraq is claiming that eight civilians were killed and three others injured when US and British warplanes attacked targets in southern Iraq on Sunday.
The Iraqi News Agency INA said on Monday that yesterday’s air raids targeted farms in the Wasit province 100 miles southeast of Baghdad.
The Pentagon said Sunday that US and British fighter jets attacked three surface-to-air missile sites in Iraq’s southern “no-fly” zone as part of a campaign to disable Baghdad’s air defenses. A Pentagon official said three separate strikes occurred late yesterday, with all US aircraft returning safely to their bases. The aim of the strikes appears to be a move to wipe out dictator Saddam Hussein’s new fiber optic communications network.
“America and Britain committed yet another savage aggression that targeted Iraqi civilians when their planes attacked al- Salihiya area in Wasit province (southern Iraq), killing eight and wounding three,” INA reported. The agency said US and British warplanes, patrolling a no-fly zone in southern Iraq, fired three missiles and cluster bombs, which hit and damaged farms in the area.
INA, quoting eyewitnesses, said the attack took place after midday on Sunday while residents were about to do their midday Muslim prayers and others were shopping in a local market. “This act reflects hatred harboured by America, Britain and Zionism (Israel) against proud Iraq under the leadership of President Saddam Hussein who foiled their vicious scheming against Iraq and its people,” the agency said. It said the raid also damaged shops in the area.
Used with Permission from International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.