Many killed in US air raid on Falluja

A fresh US air strike on the Iraqi town of Falluja has killed 17 people, including three children.

Police and medical sources said two houses were destroyed when a US fighter jet fired two missiles late on Wednesday at the town’s residential neighbourhood of Jebel, some 65km west of capital Baghdad.

The US occupation military said the strike targeted a safehouse used by followers of alleged al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Ambulances and civilian cars transferred the dead and wounded to the hospital.

“We have received nine dead people and six wounded, several in serious condition,” said Seifeddin Taha of the Falluja general hospital.

“All the wounded are families. Among the dead, there could be two or three children but the bodies are torn to pieces and it’s difficult to tell,” he said.

Target

"The strike, based on multiple intelligence sources, targeted two buildings used as safehouse and meeting points for al-Zarqawi associates who had executed someone on Wednesday," the US military claimed.

"The al-Zarqawi associates were observed removing a man from the trunk of a car, executing him then burying his body," the military said.

The latest air strike comes after US forces pounded the town on Saturday, killing five people and wounding 42 others.

US-led forces have targeted Falluja both from the land and air frequently in the past and had even laid a three-week siege of the town in April in a vain attempt to quell Iraqi resistance.

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