15 civilians killed in raid
BAGHDAD -- A U.S. attack killed 19 insurgents and 15 civilians, including nine children, northwest of the capital Thursday -- one of the heaviest civilian death tolls in an American operation in recent months. The military said it was targeting senior leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq.
American forces have applied fierce and determined pressure on militants, especially al-Qaida in Iraq, since the full contingent of additional U.S. troops arrived June 15. But Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has recently confronted top American commander Gen. David Petraeus about what he sees as overly aggressive U.S. tactics that harm innocent civilians, according to Iraqi officials.
The military statement detailing Thursday's air and ground assault said soldiers were acting on intelligence reports about an al-Qaida meeting in the Lake Tharthar region. The southern reaches of the big, man-made lake are about 50 miles northwest of the capital.
The military said it then tracked some of those who escaped the initial attack to a place south of Lake Tharthar. It said ground forces moved on the site and came under fire. Air support was called in.
"After securing the area, the ground force assessed 15 terrorists, six women and nine children were killed," the statement said. Two suspected al-Qaida members, a woman and three children were wounded, according to the military account.
The U.S. military announced the combat death of a soldier Wednesday in eastern Baghdad.
At least 35 Iraqis were killed or found dead in attacks nationwide Thursday, as suicide car bombers struck a market in the northern city of Kirkuk and a cafe in eastern Baghdad.
Also Thursday, the U.S. military revealed that rockets fired from a nearby abandoned school struck Camp Victory, U.S. military headquarters near Baghdad Airport, killing two members of the U.S.-led coalition and wounding 40 other people on the sprawling headquarters for U.S. forces in Iraq.
Most troops stationed at the base are American but there are small contingents from other countries. The military said those wounded in Wednesday's attack included two "third-country nationals," meaning they were not Americans or Iraqis.