U.S. military says kills 49 in Baghdad raid

U.S. military says kills 49 in Baghdad raid
By Sattar Raheem and Aseel Kami

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi government protested against a raid by U.S. forces in Baghdad on Sunday in which the military said 49 gunmen were killed in fierce fighting, but police and witnesses said claimed the lives of many civilians.

The fighting erupted during an operation in Sadr City, the main stronghold of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada, to capture an Iranian-linked militant suspected of abducting U.S.-led coalition soldiers and other foreigners.

Iraqi police said 13 civilians were killed and 69 wounded in the clashes, in which the U.S. military said troops backed by attack helicopters battled militants armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machineguns.

Two of the victims were toddlers, Reuters Television pictures showed.

The U.S. military said it had no confirmation of any civilian casualties.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki protested about the "excessive force" against civilians in the Sadr City raid in his weekly meeting with General David Petraeus, the U.S. commander Iraq, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in an interview with CNN's Late Edition.

Iraqi officials have criticized the U.S. military in the past for operations that have resulted in the loss of civilian life, especially the use of air strikes in built-up areas.

Petraeus's spokesman, Colonel Steve Boylan, said it had been agreed to establish a committee that would consist of Iraqi cabinet officials and U.S. general officers to "review the case and to refine mechanisms for the future".