Five Iraqis killed by US airstrike

Baghdad: Five Iraqi civilians including a judge were killed by a U.S. airstrike in the northern town of Tikrit on Wednesday, Iraqi police said.

In a statement, US forces acknowledged that the civilians had been killed during a battle with alleged Al Qaida Sunni militants, which started after the airstrikes from fixed-wing aircraft.

The statement continued that several civilians were injured and killed despite coalition forces' attempts to protect civilians caught in the crossfire.

Iraqi police said five civilians were killed and 10 wounded in the air strike. The dead included Munaf Mehdi, a judge in the town.