US spokesman: "it's difficult for us to consider this a place of prayer"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4850108.stm

Political storm over Iraq deaths

The US military in Iraq is facing growing political pressure over a raid on a Baghdad mosque complex that left about 20 people dead on Sunday evening.


<snip>

News footage taken after the attack seemed to belie US assertions that troops had not entered or damaged any sacred building during the raid.

The room where the killing occurred appeared to be a prayer hall. The floors are carpeted and the walls covered with religious posters.

The tape showed a tangle of male bodies and spent 5.56mm bullet casings on the blood-smeared floor - the kind of ammunition used by the US military.

"In our observation of the place and the activities that were going on, it's difficult for us to consider this a place of prayer," said US military spokesman Barry Johnson.

"It was not identified by us as a mosque, though we certainly recognised it as a community gathering centre. I think this is frankly a matter of perception," he added.

The area is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army.