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Civilian Deaths Inflame Sunni-American Tensions

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By KIM GAMEL, The Associated Press

Published: February 6, 2008

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military faced complaints Tuesday from its Sunni allies over claims that more civilians had been killed by American forces, amplifying tensions as the Pentagon tries to calm anger over an airstrike last week that claimed innocent lives.

The disputes have further strained ties with anti-al-Qaida fighters considered crucial in turning the tide against extremist violence.

The latest deaths occurred when U.S. soldiers acting on tips stormed a mud-brick house in the village of Adwar.

The predominantly Sunni area is home to many former members of Saddam's regime and has been the frequent site of American raids.

Three Iraqi civilians were killed and a child critically injured when U.S. soldiers stormed the home while pursuing members of a suicide bombing network. The soldiers came under fire when they entered the home, officials said.

"We sincerely regret when civilians are injured during our operations, and we make every effort to protect them," said Maj. Winfield Danielson.
Muhannad Ismail Shihab, whose aunt, uncle and cousin were killed in Monday's raid, said: "I was shocked when I saw their bodies, and I started to shiver. All of them were near their beds. The Americans are liars when they said my family was killed because the soldiers came under fire."

On Monday, the military said it had accidentally killed nine Iraqi civilians, including a child, in an airstrike Saturday targeting al-Qaida in Iraq south of Baghdad.

The killings illustrate the increasing difficulty in identifying the enemy as the nature of the U.S.-led war in Iraq has changed. Many former insurgents and tribal leaders have joined forces with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq. The mistaken shootings also threaten to jeopardize the fragile relationship between the Americans and their new Sunni partners.

"Such acts by U.S. soldiers cannot be justified and they will create mistrust and arouse suspicions between U.S. Army and members of the awakening councils," said Abu Muthanna, a leader of a U.S.-backed anti-al-Qaida group in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Azamiyah. "This could hurt the level of cooperation between the two sides."

Also Tuesday, a new Iraqi flag stripped of the three green stars of Saddam Hussein's toppled Baath party was hoisted over the Iraqi Cabinet building in a symbolic break with the past nearly five years after the U.S.-led invasion.

Information from the Los Angeles Times was used in this report.

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