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Falluja toll tops 600
More than 600 Iraqis have been killed in fighting in Falluja since US forces launched an offensive against resistance fighters in the town a week ago, say hospital sources.
"I can say more than 600 have been killed, but the number may not be totally correct as many families have already buried their dead in their gardens", Dr Rafa Hayad al-Issawi, the director of Falluja's hospital, told Aljazeera.
As well as the dead, al-Issawi estimated that around 1200 people had been injured in the fighting, some of the fiercest that Iraq has seen since US-led forces invaded the country last to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
Aljazeera's correspondent in in Falluja reported that 11 people were killed and about 50 others wounded by US gunfire, despite the ceasefire agreed upon between the US occupation forces and the Iraqi resistance.
An assessment by five international non-governmental organisations on Friday said that 470 people had been killed in Falluja.
Of 1200 injured, it said 243 were women and 200 children. The groups warned their estimate may be too low.
"Dead bodies are lying in the streets. Ambulances are being shot at by snipers. Medical aid and supplies have been stopped by US Occupation Forces," a statement from the NGOs said.
The Marines conducting the week-long operation in Falluja have been accused of firing indiscriminately on people in the city, killing women and children.
Soldiers killed
US military spokesmen have strenuously denied those accusations, saying troops are trained to ensure all their actions are extremely precise and only combatants are killed.
Meanwhile the US military announced on Sunday that eight US soldiers in various attacks in the past two days.
Four 1st Armored Division soldiers were killed in two separate attacks on April 9 in Baghdad, the statement said, while three 1st Infantry Division soldiers were killed and two wounded in an ambush near Tikrit, north of Baghdad the same day.
On April 10th, a Marine was killed as a result of fighting in the al-Anbar province west of Baghdad. No further details on the incident were provided.
The deaths and attacks had not previously been reported.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D334DDD4-F26F-483F-9AE4-E08BB9E53567.htm
As well as the dead, al-Issawi estimated that around 1200 people had been injured in the fighting, some of the fiercest that Iraq has seen since US-led forces invaded the country last to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
Aljazeera's correspondent in in Falluja reported that 11 people were killed and about 50 others wounded by US gunfire, despite the ceasefire agreed upon between the US occupation forces and the Iraqi resistance.
An assessment by five international non-governmental organisations on Friday said that 470 people had been killed in Falluja.
Of 1200 injured, it said 243 were women and 200 children. The groups warned their estimate may be too low.
"Dead bodies are lying in the streets. Ambulances are being shot at by snipers. Medical aid and supplies have been stopped by US Occupation Forces," a statement from the NGOs said.
The Marines conducting the week-long operation in Falluja have been accused of firing indiscriminately on people in the city, killing women and children.
Soldiers killed
US military spokesmen have strenuously denied those accusations, saying troops are trained to ensure all their actions are extremely precise and only combatants are killed.
Meanwhile the US military announced on Sunday that eight US soldiers in various attacks in the past two days.
Four 1st Armored Division soldiers were killed in two separate attacks on April 9 in Baghdad, the statement said, while three 1st Infantry Division soldiers were killed and two wounded in an ambush near Tikrit, north of Baghdad the same day.
On April 10th, a Marine was killed as a result of fighting in the al-Anbar province west of Baghdad. No further details on the incident were provided.
The deaths and attacks had not previously been reported.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D334DDD4-F26F-483F-9AE4-E08BB9E53567.htm
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