Allied Airstrikes Continue in Southern Iraq, Wounding At Least Three

Allied airstrikes targeting southern Iraq have resumed for a second day, damaging a train station and homes, and wounding at least three people. Lieutenant General Shaheen Yassin Ahmad, commander of the Iraqi air defense, stated that British and American warplanes attacked targets in Samawa, a city 170 miles south of Baghdad. The airstrikes come after a day of attacks in the same city that Iraq reported killed 2 people and wounded 19 others.

Key Takeaways:

• The second day of airstrikes targeted a train station and homes in Samawa, a city 170 miles south of Baghdad.
• At least three people were wounded in the attacks, according to Lieutenant General Shaheen Yassin Ahmad.
• Iraq claims that 2 people were killed and 19 others wounded in the previous day's airstrikes.
• Allied warplanes have been attacking targets from the Saudi and Kuwaiti skies, according to General Ahmad.
• The airstrikes are the first in six weeks.
• President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela visited Baghdad on Thursday, in the first visit by a foreign head of state since before the Persian Gulf war in 1991.
• Iraq accused Saudi Arabia and Kuwait of financing aggressive attacks on Iraq, criticizing them for allowing American and British allies to use their bases for daily flights over the no-flight zones.

Statistics:

• At least 3 people were wounded in the airstrikes.
• 19 people were claimed to be wounded in the previous day's airstrikes.
• 2 people were claimed to be killed in the previous day's airstrikes.
• All airstrikes were conducted from the Saudi and Kuwaiti skies.
• The last airstrikes occurred six weeks prior to the current incidents.
• President Hugo Chavez's visit to Baghdad occurred on Thursday.

Sources:

• A senior Iraqi officer (Lt. Gen. Shaheen Yassin Ahmad, commander of the Iraqi air defense)
• Iraqi News Agency (official statement carrying Mr. Hussein briefed his cabinet on the latest strikes)
• United States Central Command (statement from Florida)
• New York Times (report on airstrikes and Iraqi reactions)