100 Kurdish Civilians Reportedly Killed by Iraqi Troops
Iraqi forces have killed more than 100 Kurdish civilians in a four-day battle to oust rebels from northern Iraq, a rebel spokesman said Monday.
Iraqi troops began a large-scale offensive in Arbil province on May 27, backed by heavy artillery, tanks and air support, and gained control of nine villages, according to Barham Salah, a spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
Iraqi Embassy spokesmen here were not immediately available for comment.
Salah said in London that chemical and nerve gases were also used and that civilians suspected of providing food and shelter for the rebels had been targeted.
“The Iraqi forces have summarily executed a large number of the civilian inhabitants--more than 100--who were unable to evacute the area,” he said.
More than 360 Iraqi troops were killed and 600 wounded.
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