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An Iraqi official has accused the US forces of "indiscriminate killing"
and destruction in the Iraqi town of Al-Qa'im, on the Syrian border.
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
