By DPA
Baghdad : The Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni political faction in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's cabinet, published a statement Sunday alleging that more than 350 people have been killed by a US military operation in Baquba to hunt down Al Qaeda-affiliated members.
They termed the operations "collective punishment" in Baquba, the capital of Diyala Province, 57 kilometres northeast of Baghdad.
"Neighbourhoods in western Baquba have witnessed, since last week, fierce attacks by occupation forces within Operation Arrowhead Ripper," the party said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq.
"The forces shelled these neighbourhoods with helicopters, destroying more than 150 houses and killing more than 350 citizens, their bodies still under wreckage, in addition to arresting scores of citizens," the statement added.