Iraqi war planes bomb Fallujah maternity hospital

The Iraqi Air Force has bombed a maternity hospital in Fallujah, killing dozens of women, children and medical staff, according to local sources.

“Iraqi army planes dropped three barrel bombs on the city’s maternity hospital, killing 31 people, including 23 women and children, and injuring 39 others,” said Dr. Fadil Ahmad who works at Fallujah’s Maternity and Neonatal Hospital.

“Some of the bodies are so badly burnt it is difficult to identify them, especially the babies. The maternity hospital is far from the fighting and it’s an old building and known by everyone,” he told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Some of the bodies are so badly burnt it is difficult to identify them, especially the babies - Dr. Fadil Ahmad

Ahmad said another bomb hit the city’s al-Andalus district, but the number of victims is still unknown.

Eyewitnesses of the air strike on the hospital said all the dead women and children were patients in the hospital and most of the bodies were severely damaged in the attack.

Local figure Mohammad al-Hashmi said, “The Iraqi and coalition war planes have committed a horrible massacre in Fallujah today against women, new born babies and doctors.”

“The international community must immediately intervene to stop the crimes of the Iraqi military and its militias against civilians and ban Iraqi and Iranian planes from operating because they are using the fight against the Islamic state as a cover to wipe out Sunnis in Fallujah.” he added.

Doctors in Fallujah said many of the injured have died due to the shortage of medical staff, medicine, equipment and the difficulty in transporting the injured to hospitals outside the city because the military and the Popular Mobilisation Militias have blocked the roads.

Activists said mosques have been using their loud speakers since the morning to ask locals to donate blood for the victims of the bombing.

Also on Thursday a truck bomb ripped through a market in a Shia-majority area of Baghdad, killing at least 58 people, security and medical officials have said.