Officials reject reports of U.S. involvement in Sadr City airstrike

[maddezmom]

Source: Stars and Stripes

By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, April 1, 2007

American military officials have rejected media reports that the U.S. military was involved in an airstrike in Sadr City early Friday. The airstrike was reported to have killed a number of civilians.

In a tersely worded statement released Saturday morning, the U.S. military command in Baghdad said, “Despite reports from individuals and some media organizations, coalition forces were not involved in airstrikes over Sadr City on Friday.”

Initial reports of the supposed strike apparently came from the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior and Iraqi television news outlets.

According to the state-sponsored Iraqiya TV, the airstrike allegedly killed 16 civilians in a village in the Sadr City area of Baghdad. The strike, the reports claimed, took place around 2 a.m. Friday.



Read more: http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=44765

[ixion]

1. uh, okay... if it wasn't the US, then who was it? Who has aircraft?

I don't believe the Iraqi militias have aircraft, so who was it?

[DRoseDARs]

2. It had to have been Saddam's missing Flying Monkeys of DOOM! n/t

[SpiralHawk]

5. Did they fly out of Commander Chimpolini's butt?

It could happen, you know...

[Theduckno2]

3. Private security? Black Ops? Flying Spaghetti Monster?

I also doubt the Iraqi military or militias have aircraft.

[annabanana]

4. Ah Ha! The Iraqi Air Force!. . . r - i - i - i - ight. . . . . . . . n/t

[youngdem]

6. Holy crap, when did the Sunnis get F-16's?

:sarcasm:


Ya know Bushco, when you deny something, make sure that it is PLAUSIBLE that the incident happened in another way. Blaming a bunch of guys whose arsenal consists of AK's, garage door infrared openers, old ammo shells and cell phone cameras for an AIR STRIKE is frankly a little embarrassing.

[Eugene]

7. But they did hit Sadr City on Saturday

Source: Agence France-Presse

US air strike targets Baghdad Shiite bastion

Sun Apr 1, 3:48 AM ET

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Two militants were arrested in Baghdad's Shiite enclave
of Sadr City after it was targeted in a US air strike, the American military
said on Sunday.

The strike was carried out during Saturday's raid as Iraqi and US troops
came under fire in the Shiite bastion, which is a stronghold of the Mahdi
Army militia loyal to radical anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

"As ground forces approached the targeted area, they began receiving
fire. Ground forces called for air support and coalition aircraft delivered
munitions, suppressing enemy fire," the military said.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070401/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestusshiite_070401074852

---

Related: Two suspected terrorists detained in Sadr city raid - MNF Iraq