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The Ugandan government-owned newspaper has accused the United States troops of killing civilians in a recent strike on a three-vehicle convoy fleeing Iraq near the Syrian border.
The New Vision newspaper said on Wednesday in a commentary entitled Don't Killing Civilians that the United States is carrying DNA testing on the bodies found in the wreckage of a three-car convoy in Iraq.
"The USA is hoping that the remains of Saddam Hussein or his sons might be identified among the dead bodies after its special forces destroyed the convoy near or at the Syrian border," the commentary said.
It said that "it is still not know when the attack took place or how it took place. The American government is keeping very quiet about the whole incident."
The commentary pointed out that "the attack raises serious human rights issues."
The US government "has itself criticized Israel for its policy of assassinating Palestinian radicals who are non-combatants. How different is the situation in Iraq?" it questioned.
"Even if Saddam had been in the convoy, would it not have been better to have intercepted the convoy and arrested him? If the convoy had refused to halt, then there would have been some justification for firing on it," the commentary stressed.
Information from a former top aide of Saddam Hussein has led US commando forces to chase a convoy of suspected Iraqi fugitives to the Iraqi-Syrian border.
The US special commando team was joined in the convoy operation by an AC-130 gunship and other air support that attacked the vehicles along a known escape and smuggling route near the western city of Qaim, a report said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2003)
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