Occupation forces indiscriminately killed several Iraqis

The occupation forces killed yesterday nine Iraqis in two separate incidents, while an American spokesman said that one US soldier was killed and other two wounded, in an explosion targeting an American convoy in al-Ramadi area, to the west of Baghdad, where the Americans opened fire indiscriminately after the attack and killed two passers by and wounded other 6.

People in al-Ramadi said that the soldiers, within a military vehicle, opened fire indiscriminately, after one of their vehicle was hit in a bomb explosion on the roadside. The soldiers then raided certain houses in the area. One citizen said that " there were only innocent children.. what were they thinking É Saddam Hussein is here?"

In Sameraa, to the north of Baghdad, an American spokesman said that the occupation forces killed 7 Iraqis in a battle in what they described as "an armed gang which tried to steal fuel from a pipeline" to the north of the town. The spokesman said that one Iraqi led the American soldiers late night Sunday to a place where a group of 40 armed men where hiding, trying to steal oil from part of the oil pipeline, added that the gunmen had with them between 10 to 15 tanks, opened fire at the soldiers while approaching, and the forces returned fire which resulted in killing 7 gunmen.

For the third running day, the British soldiers were obliged in al-Amara city to the south of Baghdad to tighten security measures, with the continued demonstrations of protest over the non- commitment of the occupation forces for elections, and the appointed city council's promises of ensuring job opportunities and basic needs. Some 200 persons demonstrated yesterday in the center of the city, following the demonstration made on Saturday, and ended in killing 6 Iraqis by the bullets of the British forces and the Iraqi police.

Lat week, the American forces started a new force replacement operation, instead of the force deployed in Iraq through the Turkish Incerlik base, in one of the largest replacement operation in the history of the American army since the World War II. It is presumed, however, that 123, 000 soldiers will be replaced by the fall of May by a force of 110,00 soldiers.