Xinhuanet: US military campaign causes destruction in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Dec. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The US military campaign against guerillas have caused wide-spread destruction to civilians in US-occupied Iraq.

A farmer from the city of Baquba, 60 km north of Baghdad, said US troops had burned large areas of citrus orchards in the city, which were suspected to be guerilla hideouts.

Baquba and its surrounding areas are well-known for best citrus orchards in Iraq. The 200,000 residents of the city mainly live on the plant.

The Saudi-funded London-based "Asharqal-Awsat" daily, in its Baghdad edition Thursday front-paged an awful photo showing an Iraqi old woman standing in front of her house destroyed by US troops in al-Hawija, about 250 km north of Baghdad.

...

Observers call all the spoilage and devastation disastrous consequences of turning Iraq into the "central front" in the war against international terrorism as US President George W. Bush put it.

(more)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-12/06/content_1217413.htm