US Airstrikes Kill 11 Iraqis

[Ghost in the Machine]

US Airstrikes Kill 11 Iraqis
Published: 10/24/07, 2:45 AM EDT
By KIM GAMEL

BAGHDAD (AP) - A U.S. helicopter opened fire Tuesday on men seen planting roadside bombs in a Sunni stronghold north of Baghdad, then chased them into a nearby house and continued to shoot, killing 11 Iraqis, including five women and one child, the military said.

Neighbors and relatives of those killed said 14 civilians were killed. They prayed and wept over the bodies, which were wrapped in colorful blankets for burial in the desert north of Samarra.

The attack began after men were seen placing bombs near the volatile city 60 miles north of Baghdad, said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a U.S. military spokeswoman.

An Apache helicopter "engaged these enemy forces, and the enemy forces ran into a house and took over the structure," she said, adding the attack aircraft continued to fire at the suspected militants as they tried to escape.

A known member of a roadside bomb-making network was among five military-age men who were killed, but the dead also included five women and one child, the military said in a statement that cited Iraqi sources. The statement said the circumstances surrounding the airstrikes were under review.

http://www.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=8386&eeid=5372008&_sitecat=1505&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=2&ck=&ch=ne

[Ghost in the Machine]

1. kick

[spanone]

2. gosh, are we still there?

:sarcasm: