9 US soldiers killed in the first two days of ramped-up attacks on Sunnis in Iraq

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Baqouba's civilian population (where the US assaults are taking place) is majority Sunni. "Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds," the military said. (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/10/iraq/main3694971.shtml?source=mostpop_story)

In October of last year, in the same area as today's US military assaults, at least 17 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were killed in a US air raid, Iraqi officials and witnesses said. (http://iraqnewsmonitor.blogspot.com/2007/10/civilians-killed-in-us-air-raid-near.html) US military officials had issued a statement that it had killed 25 Shia fighters in clashes near the city of Baquba, in the same area as the alleged attack on the civilians.

US helicopters attacked the Shia village of al-Jaysani, close to the town of Khalis, at about 2am local time witnesses said. "Seventeen people were killed, 27 were wounded and eight are missing including women and children," an Iraqi defence ministry official, said.

However, Ahmed Mohammed, a witness, said the death toll was higher. "There are 24 bodies on the ground in the village and 25 others wounded in Al-Khalis hospital," he said. At least four houses in the village, which lies 80km north of Baghdad, were destroyed in the US air raid, witnesses said. An Iraqi army official who spoke on condition of anonymity said civilians were killed when they rushed out to help those hurt in the initial bombing.

Oday al-Khadran, Khalis' mayor, said the US military targeted areas built up by local people to protect their neighbourhood against attacks by al-Qaeda fighters. "These places came under attack by American air strikes," he said.



It's logical to assume that there's the same lack of concern for the lives of innocent men, women, and children in Baqouba today as the military pushes forward. Bush and his generals just can't get enough killing in to satisfy themselves. We NEVER hear any actual accounting for the identities of those killed in these bombings from the air. The dead will be added to the administration's tally of 'al-Qaeda' killed, but it's clear that these are just Sunnis that the government has identified as rivals and a threat to their installed and propped-up regime.

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1. PHOTOS: Diyala raid