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US forces ended a major military operation in the western restive Anbar province, while local residents said all they got is agony.
"US Marine forces from Regimental Combat Team-2 concluded Operation Quick Strike on Aug. 10," the US military said in a statement.
About 1,000 US marines and Iraqi forces launched the operation, dubbed Quick Strike, on Aug. 3 in the Euphrates River valley, where 14 marines were killed on the same day.
The offensive focused on areas around cities of Haditha, Haqlaniyah and Parwana, some 250 km northwest of Baghdad.
Local residents said Haditha and neighboring cities suffered a humanitarian crisis due to the military operation.
"What is happening in Haqlaniyam, Browana and Haditha is a disaster. Bodies are in the streets or buried under the rubble for days, but US forces do not allow people to move and claim the bodies. This totally ran counter to basic human rights," 33 year-old Flah Ahmed told Xinhua.
"I still can not believe that I could take my family out of the city. It was a big risk as some people were killed when trying to leave the city, but we had no other choice because there was no electricity or water in the past seven days. The air raids do not distinguish civilians and armed groups," Ahmed Al-Haditha said.
"Old people, children and women were killed. What is the United Nations doing? What are human right organizations doing? What is the Iraqi Ministry for Human Rights doing?" he said.
In the city of Haditha alone, civilian casualties reached 35, most of them women and children, some residents said.
Local residents also doubted if there are any real foreign fighters in the areas.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2005)
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