Blast in northern Iraq kills 14, US forces blamed

A house in northern Iraq was destroyed overnight in what residents said was a US air strike that killed 14 people and wounded…

A house in northern Iraq was destroyed overnight in what residents said was a US air strike that killed 14 people and wounded five.

The US military said it had no immediate information.

Reuterstelevision footage and photographs showed a house in the village of Aaytha, southeast of the northern city of Mosul, reduced to rubble, while locals inspected the damage. They also showed rows of freshly dug graves where locals said the dead had been buried today.

"We don't have any confirmation yet. We are getting a flurry of calls," a US military spokesman in Baghdad said.

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Residents said US military vehicles had surrounded part of the village overnight, shortly before the strike in the early hours of this morning. US officials have said operations are underway to restore security to the Mosul area, where the police force has effectively collapsed, ahead of elections.

US military reinforcements have begun moving to the area and Iraqi security forces are also being reinforced.

Last year, US forces mounted frequent precision air strikes on houses in the western city of Falluja ahead of a major ground offensive. They said the houses were being used by insurgents and foreign fighters. Residents said scores of civilians were killed in the air strikes, but the US military said the civilian death toll was exaggerated by doctors in the city.

In May, US Marines attacked an isolated villa in the desert in western Iraq, killing around 40 people including six women and sparking widespread anger among Iraqis. Survivors said the house was attacked just after a wedding party and that all the victims were innocent civilians.

The American military said that while a party may have been taking place, the house was a base for insurgents.