Posted on 07/13/2002 10:51:26 AM PDT by PJeffQ
Today: July 13, 2002 at 10:45:11 PDT
Iraqis Hurt in U.S.-British Air Raids
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD, Iraq- Seven Iraqi civilians were injured in U.S. and British air raids in southern Iraq on Saturday, a military spokesman said.
The unidentified spokesman said allied warplanes bombed "civil and service installations" in Dhi Qar province, 211 miles south of Baghdad, the official Iraqi News Agency reported.
No U.S. or British comment was immediately available.
The Iraqi spokesman said seven civilians were wounded, but did not elaborate on the extent of their injuries.
The warplanes left Iraqi skies after being challenged by Iraq's "courageous ground resistance," the report added without specifying the time of the attack.
The incident comes as the United States maintains its threats to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Iraqi opposition leaders also met Sunday in London to discuss their role in any bid to oust Saddam.
A regime change in Iraq is a stated policy of the Bush administration.
U.S. and British warplanes have been monitoring "no fly" zones over southern and northern Iraq since shortly after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurdish and Shiite Muslim groups.
Iraq frequently tries to shoot down allied planes as it considers the zones violations of Iraqi sovereignty.
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