American troops destroyed two buildings being used by gunmen in a town in Anbar province, killing six armed men, two women and a child, the military said Sunday. On Saturday night in the town of Karmah, US ground and air forces killed six gunmen while destroying two buildings that they were using, the military said.
"Coalition forces take precautions to mitigate risks to civilians while in pursuit of terrorists. However, terrorists continue to put innocent civilians in danger by operating among them," the U.S. military statement said.
Meanwhile, US President Bush said Saturday he wishes to hear all advice before making decisions about changes in Iraq strategy, even as it was disclosed that former Defense Minister Donald H. Rumsfeld called for major changes in tactics two days before he resigned as defense secretary. "In my view it is time for a major adjustment," Rumsfeld wrote in a Nov. 6 memo to the White House. "Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough."
Existence of the classified memo was first reported by The New York Times on its Internet site Saturday evening in a story for the paper's Sunday editions.
The president acknowledged the difficulties in Iraq in his Saturday radio address and said: "I recognize that the recent violence in Iraq has been unsettling. Many people in our country are wondering about the way forward. The work ahead will not be easy, yet by helping Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki strengthen Iraq's democratic institutions and promote national reconciliation, our military leaders and diplomats can help put Iraq on a solid path to liberty and democracy."
