U.S. says airstrike killed at least 9 civilians

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U.S. says airstrike killed at least 9 civilians
Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, February 5, 2008

The U.S. military said Sunday that an airstrike intended for insurgents killed at least nine Iraqi civilians instead.

The incident occurred Saturday in Iskandariyah, about 25 miles south of Baghdad. While a U.S. military statement issued late Sunday did not identify the civilians, Iraqi police officials told news agencies that they were members of an armed neighborhood watch group allied with the Americans.

The U.S. military said three other people were injured in the strike and that they were being treated at American military hospitals.

According to Iraqi officials, the incident occurred when American aircraft responded to an attack on an American convoy.

“We offer our condolences to the families of those killed in this incident, and we mourn the loss of innocent life,” the U.S. statement read, in part. The incident is under investigation.


Article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52200