Women and Children Dead In US Iraq Air StrikeA US military air raid in western Iraq has caused many deaths, reports from Iraq say. The US military said it had targeted what it called an al-Qaeda cell leader in an air strike near Karabilah, on the border with Syria. US officials insisted it was a precision strike designed to avoid civilian casualties. But doctors at a hospital in the nearby town of Qaim said there were more than 30 dead, including women and children. In other violence on Monday, police officials in Baghdad reported that two mortar rounds hit a major junction near Iraq's oil ministry, killing a civilian and wounding four others. In the town of Bani Saad, 60km (35 miles) north-east of Baghdad, two mortar rounds hit an Iraqi army base, killing two soldiers and wounding seven, Iraqi police have reported. Last modified October 31, 2005 |