US missiles kill 20 in Fallujah

A US military plane fired missiles into a residential neighbourhood in Fallujah today, killing at least 20 and levelling houses in the Sunni Muslim city, police and residents said.

The US military declined comment.

Residents said at least 20 bodies were taken for burial soon afterwards in the city’s “martyrs’ cemetery,” in accordance with Islamic custom to bury dead quickly. At least three women and five children were among the dead.

US Marines declined comment and referred queries to the US command, which said it had no comment.

“At 9.30am, a US plane shot two missiles on this residential area,” said the Fallujah police chief, Sabbar al-Janabi, as he surveyed the wreckage. “Scores were killed and injured. This picture speaks for itself.”

Rescue workers combed the scene looking for other victims. At least two houses were destroyed and six others were damaged in the poor residential area.

Water spouted from a hole in front of one of the destroyed houses, apparently from where one of the missiles struck.

Outraged residents accused the Americans of trying to inflict maximum damaged by firing two strikes – one first to attack and another to kill the rescuers.

“The number of casualties is so high because after the first missile we jumped to rescue the victims,” said Wissam Ali Hamad.

“The second missile killed those trying to carry out the rescue.”

US Marines pulled back from Fallujah in late April after three weeks of fighting touched off when four American security contractors were killed in an ambush and their bodies mutilated.

Ten Marines and hundreds of Iraqis, many of them civilians, died before the siege was lifted and security was handed over to an Iraqi volunteer force, the Fallujah Brigade.

US officials have said Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may be hiding in the city.

Al-Zarqawi has been blamed for the string of car bombs across Iraq, including the Thursday that killed 35 people and wounded 145 at an Iraqi military recruiting centre in Baghdad.