Monday, July 02, 2007
Maliki condemns U.S. raid on Sadr City
Security
(Al Jazeera) - Iraq's prime minister has condemned a US raid on Baghdad's Sadr City which left 26 people dead. Nouri al-Maliki said the military operations were "conducted without prior approval from the Iraqi military command". He has demanded an explanation from the US authorities and said anyone who breeches military orders will face an investigation.
Residents accused American troops of killing eight civilians in their homes and "firing wildly" during the raid in the mainly Shia district early on Saturday morning. The US military in Iraq said it killed 26 people, all of them "gunmen" linked to "Iranian terror networks".
Coalition forces conducted two separate raids targeting suspected secret cell terrorists during pre-dawn hours Saturday in Sadr City," the statement said. "It is believed that the suspected terrorists have close ties to Iranian terror networks and are responsible for facilitating the flow of lethal aid into Iraq. Seventeen more people were detained, it said.
Residents accused American troops of killing eight civilians in their homes and "firing wildly" during the raid in the mainly Shia district early on Saturday morning. The US military in Iraq said it killed 26 people, all of them "gunmen" linked to "Iranian terror networks".
Coalition forces conducted two separate raids targeting suspected secret cell terrorists during pre-dawn hours Saturday in Sadr City," the statement said. "It is believed that the suspected terrorists have close ties to Iranian terror networks and are responsible for facilitating the flow of lethal aid into Iraq. Seventeen more people were detained, it said.
The statement said US soldiers faced "significant" resistance during the pre-dawn raids, including roadside bomb attacks as well as fire from rocket-propelled grenades and light weapons."Everyone who got shot was shooting at US troops at the time," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, "it was an intense firefight".
Labels: Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, Nouri Al-Maliki, Sadr City, U.S. military
