The Guardian
Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has angrily charged American forces with undermining national reconciliation after a US-led raid in the eastern Baghdad stronghold of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr reportedly caused the death of three people, including a woman and a child.
The forthright criticism of US tactics comes just days after the launch of a much-publicised American-Iraqi crackdown, supported by Mr Maliki, on sectarian Sunni-Shia violence in the capital. But in a statement on government television late on Monday night, Mr Maliki said he was "very angered and pained" by the latest operation, which involved air and ground forces in the volatile Sadr City area early in the morning.
"Reconciliation cannot go hand in hand with operations that violate the rights of citizens this way," Mr Maliki said.
The US military said the raid, which also involved Iraqi forces, had targeted "individuals involved in punishment and torture cell activities" and was part of an effort to stem the sectarian violence in Baghdad and avert a broader civil war.
No comments:
Post a Comment