Iraqis to reelect Saddam Hussein; Four Iraqi killed from US air raids

More than 11 million Iraqis will head next Tuesday to the ballot centers to cast their votes in a referendum for a new presidential term of office for the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Meantime, Four Iraqis were killed in raids carried out by American and British planes against the northern part of the country.

The Iraqi news agency quoted a source at the ministry of planning as saying that "some 11,61,979 who are eligible to vote will head for the voting ballots," adding the "1905 voting centers were distributed on 72 election zones over all parts of Iraq in order to facilitate the voting process." Number of Iraqis who were eligible to vote in the referendum which was held in October, 7 years ago was 8.4 million.

A decision issued recently by the Revolution's Leadership Council permitted the Iraqi Kurds to cast their votes in any of the Iraqi provinces, and thereby excluding them from the law which states that they have to cast their votes at their birthplace. The decision came to give the opportunity for the Kurds who live in the central and southern provinces in Kurdistan, which includes the governorates of al-Suleimaneyah, Irbil, Dahouk and outside the authority of the central government in Baghdad since the mid of 1991, to take part in the referendum.

On the other hand, the Iraqi ministry of health said on Wednesday that 30,000 Iraqis died in July and August this year because of the sanctions imposed on Iraq since more than 11 years. The ministry said that the "deaths were as a result of various diseases resulted from malnutrition and the lack of medicine as well as the continued attacks and the repressive besiege imposed on Iraq."

Meanwhile, an Iraqi military spokesman said that four Iraqis were killed and other 11 wounded in raids launched by US and British planes on Wednesday in Ninawa province situated 400 Km to the north of Baghdad.

The spokesman who was quoted by the Iraqi news agency said that "several enemy formations ( British and Americans) coming from the Turkish areas and backed by AWACS planes from inside the Turkish airspace carried out 16 armed sorties over the areas of Zakhu, Dahouk, Irbil, Aqra, al-Imadeyah, Rawanidos and al-Mousil in the north of Iraq.