In other news from Iraq, up to 42 Iraqis died on Wednesday when the US attacked a wedding party near the Syrian border. The Guardian of London interviewed some of the survivors who reported 27 of those killed were from one family. 14 were children and 11 were women. Also killed was Hussein al-Ali who was one of the most popular singers in western Iraq. One survivor who lost her two boys in the attack said “The bombing started at 3am. We went out of the house and the American soldiers started to shoot us. They were shooting low on the ground and targeting us one by one.” Another witness said “I saw something that nobody ever saw in this world. There were children’s bodies cut into pieces, women cut into pieces, men cut into pieces. The U.S. has admitted there was a raid on the village but said it was to target a “suspected foreign fighter safe house.” Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for the US military in Iraq said “We took ground fire and we returned fire. We estimate that around 40 were killed. But we operated within our rules of engagement.” A Marine commander disputed the Iraqi assertion that the US had raided a wedding party. But when he was asked about a video showing a child’s body being lowered into a grave he said “I have not seen the pictures but bad things happen in wars. I don’t have to apologize for the conduct of my men.”