US Airstrikes Kill At Least 26 Iraqis

Source: Alalam TV, 29-03-2008
BASRA, Iraq--US forces have launched airstrikes in the southern city of Basra and fired missiles into Baghdad's Sadr City, killing a number of civilians.
At least 14 people were killed in Sadr City on Friday, including three children, medics said, while 17 people were killed in Kadhimiyah and other parts of Baghdad.
US jets meanwhile bombed Basra as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki offered cash to local residents to hand in their guns.
More than 180 people have been killed in clashes since Tuesday.
On Friday, new firefights broke out in Baghdad's Sadr City and Kadhimiyah, strongholds of some Mahdi Army militia which Iraqi forces are battling in Basra and other regions.
Security and medical officials also reported fierce fighting in and around the southern city of Nasiriyah.
Before dawn Friday, a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile in the Sadr City district, killing nine civilians and wounding nine others, according to Iraqi officials.
Another US airstrike targeted what the military described as rocket-propelled grenade mounted vehicle in the mostly Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, killing two people.
Defying a curfew in Baghdad, the militia lobbed more rockets or mortars against the US-protected Green Zone, which has come under steady barrages this week.
The attacks prompted the State Department to order embassy personnel to stay inside.
At least two rounds Friday struck the Green Zone offices of Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, killing two guards and wounding four, his daughter and executive secretary Lubna al-Hashemi said.
In all, the US military said 13 suspected militants were killed Friday and 26 on Thursday in Baghdad operations.
An American soldier also was killed Friday in a roadside bombing south of Baghdad, the military reported without elaboration.
At least 26 people were killed Friday in fierce fighting in the southern cities of Mahmoudiya, Nasiriyah and Kut, according to police and army officials.