Two Iraqis killed in an American raid; Bush: No plans, but Saddam should be answered

Two Iraqis were murdered in an American raid against southern Iraq on Thursday at the time when the US President George Bush was announcing in Berlin "there are no plans to strike Iraq at his office," considering that the Iraqi President should be answered "by all means."

An Iraqi military spokesman said that two Iraqis were killed and other two wounded in raids carried out by British and American planes on Wednesday at civilian and service establishments in Zee Qar province to the southern of Iraq.

The Iraqi spokesman explained that "several enemy ( American and British) formations coming from the Saudi airspace and escorted by an AWACS plane from inside the Saudi territories carried out 34 air sorties over al-Basseya Ashbaja, al-Jaleiba, al-Salman and Artawi" and that the Iraqi anti- aircraft means intercepted them and forced them to flee back to their bases."

Meantime, from its center in Florida, the American central leadership said that the American planes bombarded on Wednesday a center for air and missile monitoring and land to air missile system in the south of Iraq in retaliation to an Iraqi firing at the alliance planes. This is however, the second American attack against Baghdad within less than one week.