US bombs apartment building with five 2000 pound bombs from a B-1 bomber

First the story on "Chemical Ali" and the 17 civilians killed along with him (unmentioned by the mainstream media as though they are unimportant):<br>
17 civilians killed in airstikes on Basra
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American and British air strikes on the besieged southern city of Basra killed 17 Iraqi civilians, including nine children.
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Al Jazeera Television’s correspondent in the city reported the funeral of 15 people, who were part of the same family, was held in the city on Saturday afternoon.
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The correspondent said they were killed when missiles hit eight houses in Basra, a city of 1.5 million people and surrounded for nearly two weeks by British troops.
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The US military said on Saturday it had bombed the Basra residence of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's cousin and top aide, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his ruthless campaign against the Kurds in 1988.
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Two coalition aircraft struck the building with "laser-guided munitions" at around 5:30 am (0130 GMT), US Central Command said in a statement.
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Majid ordered the 1988 mustard gas attack on Halabja village to put down a Kurdish uprising backed by Iran, which was at war with Iraq. An estimated 5,000 people died, most of them women and children.
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Majid, Saddam’s right-hand man, was put in charge of defending southern Iraq ahead of the war.
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"Ali is a member of the Iraqi president's inner circle and holds the military title, 'southern commander of forces'," the Central Command statement said.
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A British army source said the residence was targeted after receiving information from a reliable source on the ground that Ali was present.
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"The building was subsequently targeted and hit by both air strikes and artillery. There is a strong chance that anyone caught inside would have been killed or seriously injured." --- Al Jazeera<br><br>

Original Article
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Sickening AP story:
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U.S. Hits Site on Word of Saddam Meeting <br>

By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer
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WASHINGTON - An American bomber struck a residential complex in Baghdad on Monday after U.S. intelligence received information that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), his sons and other top Iraqi leaders might be meeting there, U.S. officials said.
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There was no immediate word on who might have been killed, but U.S. officials said they had evidence the target had been destroyed. "There is a big hole where that target used to be," one U.S. official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity.
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The attack was carried out by a single B-1B bomber which dropped fewer than five 2,000-pound bunker-penetrating bombs on the residential building, the officials said.

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The intelligence was passed to U.S. Central Command, which sent aircraft to drop bunker-busting bombs on the target.

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On March 19, President Bush (news - web sites) authorized a strike on a suburban Baghdad compound where Saddam and his sons were believed to be staying.
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American warplanes bombed a home in Basra where Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, was believed to be staying. That attack, too, was based on a time-sensitive tip. Al-Majid was a former Iraqi defense chief whose enemies called him "Chemical Ali" for his role in 1988 chemical weapons attacks on Iraqi Kurds.

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"We believe that the reign of terror of Chemical Ali has come to an end. To Iraqis who have suffered at his hand, particularly in the last few weeks in that southern part of the country, he will never again terrorize you or your families," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said.
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The AP article is so sickening. It says:<br>
"An American bomber struck a residential complex in Baghdad..."<br>

"The attack was carried out by a single B-1B bomber which dropped fewer than five 2,000-pound bunker-penetrating bombs on the residential building, the officials said. U.S. officials said they had evidence the target had been destroyed. "There is a big hole where that target used to be," one U.S. official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity."<br><br>
The article acts as though there are no moral implications of the bombing of what sounds very much like a high-rise apartment complex of which there are many in Baghdad full of innocent civilians.