Iraq: How many does it take to plant a roadside bomb?
Looks like a minimum of 20 ...
thestar/reuters: U.S. forces killed an estimated 70 militants near the western Iraqi city of Ramadi in a series of clashes on Sunday, a military statement said on Monday.
The statement said U.S. troops called in aircraft to bomb one group of suspected insurgents who were in the process of planting a roadside bomb, killing 20 men on the ground. Other clashes and airstrikes around Ramadi, an insurgent stronghold in western Anbar province, killed another 50 militants, the statement said. Link
whotv/ap: There are conflicting reports on the identities of 70 Iraqis killed in the U-S bombing of two villages near the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi.
The U-S military says all the victims were militants. Witnesses say at least 39 of the people killed were civilians.
The violence yesterday came a day after Iraq voted on a constitution that many Sunnis oppose.
On referendum day, a roadside bomb killed five U-S soldiers in a vehicle outside Ramadi. The military and witnesses agree that about 24 Iraqis gathered around the wreckage and were hit by the U-S airstrikes.
The military says the group was setting more explosives, while local people say the Iraqis had gathered to view or scavenge the site.
The other deaths occurred in a nearby village. The military says its forces were returning fire and, again, there is conflicting information as to whether the group included civilians. Read more
Update: 11.00 am - BBC Worldservice is reporting that they are receiving information that the 20+ dead 'bomb planters' were merely 'scavenging'/observing the scene. They point out that they are unable to confirm the reports 'independently' - which is typical arse-covering in the face of what is probably a number of compelling accounts that contradict the US military line.
thestar/reuters: U.S. forces killed an estimated 70 militants near the western Iraqi city of Ramadi in a series of clashes on Sunday, a military statement said on Monday.
The statement said U.S. troops called in aircraft to bomb one group of suspected insurgents who were in the process of planting a roadside bomb, killing 20 men on the ground. Other clashes and airstrikes around Ramadi, an insurgent stronghold in western Anbar province, killed another 50 militants, the statement said. Link
whotv/ap: There are conflicting reports on the identities of 70 Iraqis killed in the U-S bombing of two villages near the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi.
The U-S military says all the victims were militants. Witnesses say at least 39 of the people killed were civilians.
The violence yesterday came a day after Iraq voted on a constitution that many Sunnis oppose.
On referendum day, a roadside bomb killed five U-S soldiers in a vehicle outside Ramadi. The military and witnesses agree that about 24 Iraqis gathered around the wreckage and were hit by the U-S airstrikes.
The military says the group was setting more explosives, while local people say the Iraqis had gathered to view or scavenge the site.
The other deaths occurred in a nearby village. The military says its forces were returning fire and, again, there is conflicting information as to whether the group included civilians. Read more
Update: 11.00 am - BBC Worldservice is reporting that they are receiving information that the 20+ dead 'bomb planters' were merely 'scavenging'/observing the scene. They point out that they are unable to confirm the reports 'independently' - which is typical arse-covering in the face of what is probably a number of compelling accounts that contradict the US military line.
posted by exoplanet at 11:09 AM
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