US, Iraqi forces kill 130 people in operation in western Iraq

US and Iraqi forces killed some 130 people in an offensive, dubbed Operation Spear, in the western town of Karabilah deemed as a way station for insurgents and weapons smuggled in from Syria, medics said on Wednesday.

"More that 130 people were killed as a result of the US-led military operation in Karabilah, most of them civilians, including children, women and elderly," a medical source of Qaim Hospital, told Xinhua.

Many people were wounded in the offensive, and the death toll could be increased as searches for bodies under debris were underway, the source said.

About 750 families from Karabilah went to nearby Rawa town, while some 600 families left for Ubaidi town in the area, as US and Iraqi forces caused massive devastation in Karabilah, the source said.

The infrastructure in the town was totally destroyed and more than 100 houses were destroyed, witnesses said.

Last Friday, US and Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to chase insurgents in Karabilah.

The US military said at least 53 insurgents have been killed and 33 buildings damaged or destroyed during the fighting.

Source: Xinhua