US military 'regrets' civilian deaths in Iraq

US military 'regrets' civilian deaths in Iraq
by Bryan Pearson

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US military said on Saturday it regrets civilian deaths, as it announced a new surge of strikes against Al-Qaeda in Iraq in which six militants were killed and a child was hit in the crossfire.

Intensive operations including air strikes were carried out on Friday and Saturday in belts south of Baghdad and in Samarra, Tarmiyah and Mosul north of the capital, the military said in two separate statements.

The latest raids, in which 27 people were detained, follow a series of operations in Baghdad, Mahmudiyah, Yusufiyah and Musayyib in recent days in which scores of suspects were detained and nearly 20 others killed, according to US commander Brigadier General Joseph Anderson.

Iraqi officials claim at least 15 women and children were killed in two of the raids, but the US military says it has been informed of civilian deaths in only one of them, and has ordered an investigation.

"We regret when civilians are hurt or killed while coalition forces search to rid Iraq of terrorism," US military spokesman Major Brad Leighton told AFP.