HRs Watch condemns civilian casualties by US in Iraq

By: Mohamed Ali

NEW YORK: The New York-based human rights watch Friday released a report titled “off target: The conduct of the war and civilian casualties in Iraq” criticizing Americans for violating human rights there.

Citing the use of cluster bombs and the US decapitation strategy - targeted strikes on top Iraqi leaders - as two major causes of unnecessary civilian fatalities, the group said misguided military tactics by US-led coalition forces in Iraq resulted in hundreds of preventable civilian deaths.

The 147-page report said more than 1,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed or wounded by the British and US use of nearly 13,000 cluster munitions containing nearly two million sub-munitions. In a single day US cluster-munition attacks in the southern Iraqi city of Hilla claimed at least 33 civilians injuring 109.

According to hospital records from Hilla, holy city of Najaf and Nasseriyah 2,279 civilian casualties in March and April were recorded.

Executive director of the watch Kenneth Roth said: “The way cluster munitions were used in Iraq represents a big step backwards for the US military.”

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