Coalition air strikes kill four gunmen in Iraq´s Basra

Source: Xinhua | 04-16-2008 19:30

BASRA, Iraq, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Coalition air strikes hit insurgents' positions in Iraq's southern city of Basra early Wednesday, killing four gunmen and wounding another, a coalition spokesman said.

"A coalition aircraft conducted an air strike on a group of gunmen who were firing rocket propelled grenades on Iraqi security forces in Basra's western neighborhood of Haiyyania at about 1:30 a.m. (2230 GMT on Tuesday)," Captain Chris Ford, spokesman of the Multi National Forces in Basra, told Xinhua.

The attack killed four insurgents and wounded a fifth, Ford added.

According to the spokesman, another coalition aircraft struck a vehicle in the same neighborhood, but the casualties were unclear.

A source from Sadr office in the Haiyyania neighborhood confirmed the second attack, saying an Apache helicopter fired a missile on a civilian car carrying several gunmen of Mahdi Army militia, loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

"Three of Mahdi Army members were killed and several nearby civilians were wounded by the air strike," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

He said the British troops and the Iraqi Army bases around Basra airport came under heavy mortar and Katusha barrages overnight.

Recently, Basra was the scene of fierce clashes between Shiite militias and U.S.-backed Iraqi security forces after the latter launched a massive offensive dubbed "Operation Cavalry Assault" aimed at restoring order in the volatile city.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei