The US army admitted Monday to "accidentally" killing nine Iraqi civilians and injuring three others during an operation south of Baghdad targeted at al-Qaida in Iraq members. US Navy Lt. Patrick Evans told The Associated Press that the civilians died Saturday near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Meanwhile, it is reported that US and Iraqi forces killed 11 suspects and captured 64 others in two days of raids across central and northern Iraq, officials said. Iraqi troops killed eight suspects and arrested 28 overnight in Salman Pak, about 15 miles south of Baghdad, Iraqi police said. According to the AP, they also seized weapons, explosives and some vehicles in the raid, including a Humvee that was apparently stolen from the Iraqi army, police said.
Elsewhere, American forces killed three suspects and detained 36 others in operations targeting al Qaida in Iraq, the military said in a statement.
Another seven suspected militants were detained during operations in Mosul, the statement added.
