Global Terror

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday July 19, 2002 20:38 by Malcolm Little

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.

Five Iraqis killed, 17 wounded in air raids: Baghdad
Last updated: 19-07-02, 20:04

Five Iraqis were killed, including an infant and two women, and 17 wounded when US and British warplanes bombed southern Iraq, Iraqi officials said today.

"Five citizens were killed and 17 injured when enemy (US and British) warplanes bombed civilian and services installations in Al-Diwaniya," 105 miles south of Baghdad, at 7p.m. yesterday evening, said a military spokesman, quoted by the official INA news agency.

He said the warplanes, which "flew in from Kuwaiti airspace, backed by an AWACS plane that flew in from Saudi airspace," staged "armed sorties" over 11 other localities in southern Iraq before being "forced to flee back to their bases" by Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery and missile fire.

In a statement, he said both US and British aircraft took part in "this new crime", which killed a 62-year-old man, Mr Hamza Ghafel, and four members of one family, including a one-and-a-half-year-old girl.

It identified the four as Mr Raheem Abd Hlaihel, 32, his wife Ms Najiba Dayef, 32, Ms Lamia Dayef, 30, and the child Hiba Raheem Abd Hlaihel.

State television broadcast scenes from Al-Diwaniya, showing what it said were missile impacts near homes, one of which was completely destroyed, and a car with its shattered windows.

It also ran footage of a funeral procession with five coffins draped with the Iraqi flag and mounted on cars winding its way through town followed by a large crowd, which included local officials.

There was no immediate statement from the US military on the incident.

AFP

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