BAGHDAD, Jan. 17 The United States and its partners dropped an average of four bombs a day on Iraq in 2007, up from four a week in 2006, The Washington Post reports.
The number of airstrikes by U.S. and other coalition forces more than quintupled. Officials say the targets included al-Qaida safe houses, bomb factories and weapons stockpiles.
Military commanders in Iraq say that better intelligence allows targets to be pinpointed and expect the heavy use of air power to continue. Air Force Col. Gary Crowder said that airstrikes on insurgent targets support the surge tactic of sending U.S. troops into insurgent areas.
But critics say that the bombings increase the risk of civilian casualties. The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq says that 200 civilians were killed in strikes between April and December last year.
"The Iraqi population remains at risk of harm during these operations," said Eliane Nabaa, a spokeswoman for the agency. "The presence of individual combatants among a great number of civilians does not alter the civilian character of an area."
Copyright 2008 by UPI
