Bombardment targets Japanese forces in al-Samawa

The American army announced that several missile shelling targeted the headquarters of the Japanese forces in al-Samawah city to the south of Iraq.

No news were reported on casualties. Local citizens said that they heard explosions near the headquarters of these forces and saw smoke columns coming from a surrounding area. No comment was so far issued from the Japanese forces on these news.

Meantime, the American forces continue military operations against gunmen in al-Qaem city and the surrounding areas near the borders with Syria for the fiofth running day. The telecommunications director in al-Qaem, Abdul Khaleq al-Rawi, said that bombardment is still continuous at positions in al-Karbala and al-Rumannah villages which adjoin the city.

The American military spokesman Jeffery Paul said in a statement that the aim of these operations is to exterminate the gunmen who use this point as a starting area to carry out attack by booby trapped cars or assassination operations or kidnapping in Baghdad, al-Ramadi, Falluja and Musil, noting that information about these gunmen were received from members which had worked with them and detained recently.

Another American military official denied that two American copters were downed by the fire of gunmen during these operations. An army official said that these news are mere rumors. Al-Jazeera was told earlier quoting witnesses that the two planes were downed.

On the other hand, the brothers of al-Anbar governor Raja' Nawaf al-Mahlwai said that the kidnappers proposed to release his brother for releasing three followers of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, seized by the American forces in al-Qaem.