BAGHDAD — American forces said Sunday that they had accidentally killed nine Iraqi civilians and wounded three in a strike aimed at militants of Al Qaeda south of Baghdad, acknowledging what appeared to be one of the deadliest cases of mistaken identity in recent weeks.
A military statement released late in the day said that the accidental killings occurred Saturday in Iskandariyah, about 25 miles south of the capital, and that the wounded were taken to American military hospitals.
The statement did not further identify the civilian victims, but Iraqi police said American aircraft, responding to an attack on an American convoy, had erroneously bombed Iraqi civilian guardsmen who have contracted with the American military to fight Al Qaeda.
Those guardsmen, predominantly Sunnis, are considered a major reason why the American military has successfully reduced insurgent violence in Iraq. But in recent weeks scores of the Sunni guardsmen, known variously as Concerned Local Citizens, Awakening Councils and the Sons of Iraq, have been killed in clashes with Al Qaeda fighters and Shiite militia groups.........
No comments:
Post a Comment