'Thousands' of casualties, says Iraqi diplomat

New York - Thousands of people were killed or wounded in four days of US and British air strikes on targets in Iraq, Iraqi Ambassador…

New York - Thousands of people were killed or wounded in four days of US and British air strikes on targets in Iraq, Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Nizar Hamdoon, said yesterday.

"I'm told that the casualties are in the thousands in terms of numbers of people who were killed or wounded," Mr Hamdoon said in a CNN interview. He gave no further details.

Iraq's Vice President, Mr Taha Yassin Ramadan, said on Saturday that Operation Desert Fox had claimed far more civilian than military lives. "The number of martyrs among civilians is 10 times greater than in military ranks and the same is true for those injured," Mr Ramadan said.