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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| US strike 'kills Iraqi civilians' | US strike 'kills Iraqi civilians' |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Eight civilians have been killed in a strike by US military helicopters north of Baghdad, Iraqi police say. | Eight civilians have been killed in a strike by US military helicopters north of Baghdad, Iraqi police say. |
| Two children were among those who died in the air attack on Wednesday evening near the town of Baiji, they said. | Two children were among those who died in the air attack on Wednesday evening near the town of Baiji, they said. |
| Baiji's police chief told Reuters news agency the attack was a criminal act, targetting a group of shepherds in a farming area. | |
| The US military said an incident resulting in civilian deaths was under investigation. | The US military said an incident resulting in civilian deaths was under investigation. |
| A statement by the military added that it regretted the loss of innocent civilian lives. | |
| A US military spokesman, Lt Col Maura Gillen, said the helicopter fired after noting "suspicious activity", and she said people travelling in a car had ignored warnings to stop the vehicle. | |
| Locals said some of those killed had been people running on foot after the US forces entered the area. | |
| A local man, Ghafil Rashed, told Reuters that his brother and son had been killed in the attack: "The Americans raided our houses...People started fleeing with their children, then the aircraft started bombing people in a street along the farm." | |
| Baiji's police chief, Col Mudher Qaisi, told Reuters that the attack would make relations between Iraqi citizens and the US forces tense. | |
| "This will negatively affect security improvements," he said. |