Speaking to Al-Jazeera TV on 18 June, Abd-al-Khaliq al-Rawi, director of telecommunications in Al-Qa'im, said that the town's residents had begun acts of "civil disobedience" in protest at the killings.

Al-Rawi told the channel that US snipers were killing people every day in the town's market.

"These actions have increased in the past week. There are innocent victims on a daily basis," he said.

Commenting further on the strike by the residents, Al-Rawi said that "all government departments and commercial shops" were closed today in protest against the "US occupation troops' occupation and destruction of 10 government departments and blowing up of houses and shops".

Al-Rawi said that "almost half" of Al-Qa'im's residents had left the city a week ago as a result of the US snipers' "indiscriminate killing".

Responding to US statements that 50 militants have been killed in its current operations in western Iraq, Al-Rawi said that the injured who had arrived at the hospital in Al-Karabilah, where "Operation Spear" is currently taking place, were mostly civilians.

"Fifteen people, mostly civilians, were wounded and taken to hospital in Al-Karabilah yesterday," Al-Rawi said. He added that he had seen no gunmen or militants in the streets.

Source: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 1236 gmt 18 Jun 05