By Xinhua
Baghdad : US troops backed by aircrafts pounded a neighbourhood in western Baghdad Thursday, killing 14 people and wounding nine others, an Interior Ministry source said.
“US armoured vehicles and warplanes struck the al-Washash neighbourhood at about 3.00 a.m. (23.00 GMT Wednesday), destroying several houses, killing 14 people and wounding nine others,” the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Women and children were among the casualties, the source said.
“The US shelling started after militiamen opened fire on a US patrol in the neighbourhood at about 2.30 a.m. (22.30 GMT Wednesday),” a resident who named himself Abu Taha, told Xinhua.
He said that after a short clash, US armoured vehicles and warplanes attacked the neighbourhood, damaging several houses, he added.
The US troops withdrew from the neighbourhood after an hour, while an Iraqi army force was deployed in the neighbourhood before dawn, according to the witness.
The US military had no immediate comment on the incident.
The attacked neighbourhood is a stronghold for Mahdi Army militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who declared on Aug 19 that he ordered his militiamen to freeze their armed activities for six months.