http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1948519.eceBritish-led commandos launched one of their deadliest attacks in southern Iraq early today, when airborne troops raided Shia Muslim militia targets suspected of smuggling deadly explosives from neighbouring Iran.
According to eyewitnesses and military reports, at least 20 Iraqis were killed and 100 injured in the fighting which raged for two hours in around al-Amara, the capital of restive Maysan province. The city’s general hospital said put the death toll at 36 Iraqis killed. Separate raids were made in the nearby town of Majjar al-Kabir.
The raid provoked an angry response from local leaders who claimed that most of the casualties were civilians caught in the crossfire. snip
“Sixteen people were killed and 14 wounded, including two women and a child,” said Latif al-Timimi, a provincial council member. “Most of the dead were killed in bombings as they were sleeping on the roofs of their homes. Those killed were residents and not linked to any political party.”