Mr Maliki's criticism followed a predawn air and ground attack in Sadr City, the stronghold of the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army. Police said three people, including a woman and a child, were killed in the raid, which the US command said was aimed at "individuals involved in punishment and torture cell activities".
Mr Maliki, a Shiite, said he was "very angered and pained" by the operation, warning that it could undermine his efforts towards national reconciliation.
"Reconciliation cannot go hand in hand with operations that violate the rights of citizens this way," Mr Maliki said."This operation used weapons that are unreasonable to detain someone - like using planes."
He apologised to the Iraqi people for the operation and said "this won't happen again".
The President, Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, also met the top US commander in Iraq, George Casey, to discuss security. "It is in no one's interest to have a confrontation" with Mr Sadr's movement, Mr Talabani was said to have told General Casey.
--MORE--
No comments:
Post a Comment