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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| US air strike kills 'Iraq allies' | US air strike kills 'Iraq allies' |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Six people have been killed in a US air strike near the Iraqi town of Samarra, with some reports suggesting they were US-allied anti-al-Qaeda Sunni fighters. | Six people have been killed in a US air strike near the Iraqi town of Samarra, with some reports suggesting they were US-allied anti-al-Qaeda Sunni fighters. |
| The US denied claims by a police source and a militia member that those killed at the checkpoint were members of an Awakening Council. | The US denied claims by a police source and a militia member that those killed at the checkpoint were members of an Awakening Council. |
| The US-funded groups are credited with helping to curb the level of violence. | The US-funded groups are credited with helping to curb the level of violence. |
| It came as four more US soldiers were killed in Iraq, bringing the death toll since the 2003 invasion close to 4,000. | It came as four more US soldiers were killed in Iraq, bringing the death toll since the 2003 invasion close to 4,000. |
| Three soldiers died when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle near Baghdad on Saturday, the US military said. | Three soldiers died when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle near Baghdad on Saturday, the US military said. |
| Another US soldier died after a rocket or mortar attack on Friday. | |
| Denial | Denial |
| Independent website icasualties.org - which keeps a count of US deaths in Iraq - says the latest American fatalities would bring the death toll to 3,996. | Independent website icasualties.org - which keeps a count of US deaths in Iraq - says the latest American fatalities would bring the death toll to 3,996. |
| Iraq has been marking the fifth anniversary of the invasion | Iraq has been marking the fifth anniversary of the invasion |
| Iraq this week marked the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion. | Iraq this week marked the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion. |
| US President George W Bush said the invasion had been "the right decision" and had made the world better. | US President George W Bush said the invasion had been "the right decision" and had made the world better. |
| He said the US military's co-operation with Sunni Arab militias was yielding the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama Bin Laden, and that last year's US troop surge had opened the door to a major strategic victory. | He said the US military's co-operation with Sunni Arab militias was yielding the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama Bin Laden, and that last year's US troop surge had opened the door to a major strategic victory. |
| Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the "liberation of Iraq" by US-led forces had been the start of a new era, but he also warned that today's Iraq was still gravely threatened. | Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the "liberation of Iraq" by US-led forces had been the start of a new era, but he also warned that today's Iraq was still gravely threatened. |
| The campaign group, Iraq Body Count, says the civilian death toll since March 2003 is between 82,000 and 89,000, although it warns many deaths may have gone unreported. | The campaign group, Iraq Body Count, says the civilian death toll since March 2003 is between 82,000 and 89,000, although it warns many deaths may have gone unreported. |