US escalates siege in Baghdad's Sadr City

Accounts from Sadr City residents, however, contradicted the American militarys version of events. They said US helicopters launched two rockets, beginning at around 1 p.m., destroying six homes in the neighborhood, killing 20 civilians and injuring 50 others.

Lt. Col. Stover claimed there were no US air strikes on Tuesday and that US ground forces had launched rockets at militants firing from buildings, alleyways and rooftops. Stover said these occupation forces utilized a guided multiple-launch rocket system that fires high-explosive warheads weighing 200 pounds each. We have every right to defend ourselves, he said.

Residents said the US rockets were fired one after the other, with the second striking people rushing to evacuate others from buildings hit by the first round. One man said he saw the bodies of four people, including women and children. An Agence France Presse (AFP) photo shows a man crying as he looked at dead bodies buried in the rubble.