8 civilians dead in Falluja encounter

US forces fought running battles with insurgents in Falluja on Friday and a TV cameraman and at least eight civilians, including three child...

US forces fought running battles with insurgents in Falluja on Friday and a TV cameraman and at least eight civilians, including three children, were killed. Issam Mohammed, a doctor at Falluja’s hospital, said eight people died.

A freelance Iraqi cameraman died of gunshot wounds, said his employer, the American ABC network. Witnesses said he was fired on by US troops. The US Military in Baghdad said it had no immediate information.

‘‘It was a bloody day in Falluja,’’ Dr Mohammad Daham said. ‘‘We have been receiving casualties in great numbers. The latest was the cameraman who suffered head injuries so bad his brains were shattered.’’

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Meanwhile, Four Iraqis, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed and 19 wounded on Saturday in a rocket attack in Mosul. Ahmad Atallah Al-Rajaf, a doctor at the Mosul Medical City Hospital, said 19 people, including a seven-year-old boy and two policemen, were hurt.

The White House announced on Friday that President George W. Bush will meet next month with the leaders of Israel, Egypt and Jordan launching a new round of West Asian diplomacy to lay the groundwork for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza Strip settlements.

Bush will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, one of Washington’s closest allies in the Arab world on April 12. He will meet with Israeli PM Ariel Sharon on April 14 and Jordan’s King Abdullah on April 21.

The RJD’s key face and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav, party supremo Lalu Yadav’s son, will again contest from his stronghold Raghopur.

Amid Mahagathbandhan crisis, RJD unveils list of 143, drops 36 MLAs, focuses on ‘M-Y’

Political Pulse6 hr ago

The RJD, lead player of the Mahagathbandhan, released its full list of 143 candidates for the November Bihar Assembly elections. Its key face Tejashwi Yadav will contest from Raghopur, and 41 sitting MLAs have been renominated. The party has dropped 36 sitting MLAs and fielded young leaders, signaling a bid to consolidate its core Muslim-Yadav vote base. The Congress has fielded 60 candidates.

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