Reuters: U.S., Iraqi troops seal off Haditha - residents

U.S., Iraqi troops seal off Haditha - residents
08 Dec 2006 17:44:18 GMT
Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi troops have sealed off the city of Haditha
in Anbar province, in the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, and have warned residents
to keep off the streets and stay indoors, officials and residents said on Friday.

The U.S. military said troops were manning checkpoints and building a sand berm to crack
down on insurgents in Haditha and in neighbouring Barwana. It said U.S. troops were
protecting "the population and good citizens of Haditha".

But residents in Haditha, which is at the centre of a U.S. military investigation into the
deaths of two dozen civilians in November 2005 by U.S. Marines, said electricity has been
cut off and that no food is being allowed into the city.

Schools have been forced to close, they said.

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