US air strike kills nine in Baghdad's Sadr City

[Barrett808]

Source: AFP

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A US air strike in Baghdad's Shiite bastion of Sadr City killed at least nine people on Sunday, the American military told AFP.

The air strike killed "nine criminals in Sadr City at around 8:00 am (0500 GMT)," the military said without providing further details.

Iraqi security officials had earlier said clashes erupted between Shiite fighters and US forces in Sadr City, Baghdad bastion of the powerful Mahdi Army militia of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The firefights started around midnight (2100 GMT Saturday) and continued sporadically until after dawn, defence and interior ministry officials said.

The clashes come days before a protest on April 9 in Sadr City called by the cleric against the presence of US forces in Iraq, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the toppling of dictator Saddam Hussein's regime.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080406/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestsadrcity

[Bonhomme Richard]

1. How long before they start going after criminals here using air strikes?

Obviously it is a much more efficient way to go. Eliminates the whole messy trial business too.

[ohio2007]

2. nine "people" ? Usually there is a mention of

the # of women and children involved in air attacks....


on a side note, I wonder how Sadrs million man march is shaping up for wednesday ? they will have to lay off the media in order to get coverage imo

[Rex]

3. They are just numbers to the military.

9 here, 700 over there, mere figures on a chalkboard. Criminals...riiiiggght.

[Name removed]

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