Iraqi Warplanes Bomb al-Qaim Market, Killing 55 Civilians

MPs Slam Government for Massacre of Civilian Bystanders

Iraqi warplanes have attacked a crowded marketplace in the town of al-Qaim today, killing at least 55 civilians along with eight ISIS militants, according to sources at the local hospital. Qaim is the last town in Anbar Province that remains under ISIS control.

The hospital reported that there were three airstrikes against the market, and that the 55 civilians slain included at least 12 women and 19 children. Officials at the hospital, along with local MPs, described the attack as a “massacre against innocent civilians.”

Anbar Province MP Mohammed Karbouli said the civilian toll might be in excess of 60 when all is said and done, confirming that some of his relatives were among the slain. He demanded an immediate investigation by the prime minister and to hold accountable those responsible.

Karbouli complained that intelligence on Qaim was clearly not good if they attacked a marketplace that crowded, and insisted that killing a handful of terrorists at the cost of scores of civilians could not be justified.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.