- FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) --
The U.S. military launched an air strike overnight on two buildings in
the Iraqi city of Falluja it said were used by militants linked to al Qaeda
ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and doctors said 17 people were killed.
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- "Surrounded by fields, the two targeted buildings
served as safe houses and meeting locations for known Zarqawi associates,"
a U.S. military statement said, adding that the militants had earlier been
observed killing and burying a captive.
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- "The Zarqawi associates were observed removing a
man from the trunk of a car, executing him, then burying his body,"
the statement said.
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- Iraqi doctors at Falluja's main hospital said 17 bodies
had been brought in, including three children, one woman and one elderly
man, and 14 people had been wounded.
-
- It was not known whether guerrillas or foreign militants
were among the dead -- they rarely allow dead or wounded comrades to be
taken to hospital.
-
- The U.S. military has launched several air strikes in
recent months against targets in Falluja it said were being used by fighters
linked to Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant who Washington says is its top
target in Iraq.
-
- A $25 million reward has been offered for information
leading to his death or capture.
-
- U.S. forces pulled out of Falluja in early May after
weeks of fighting that killed hundreds of Iraqis and sparked nationwide
outrage. Security was handed over to an Iraqi force but it has largely
disintegrated.
-
- Some Iraqi politicians say Falluja has become a safe
haven for guerrillas and is controlled by insurgents.
-
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