US bombers, jets unleash 40,000 lbs. of bombs in 10 minutes near Baghdad

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US bombers and jet fighters unleashed 40,000 pounds of explosives during a 10-minute airstrike Thursday morning, flattening what the military called al-Qaida in Iraq safehavens on the southern outskirts of the capital. A military statement said two B-1 bombers and four F-16 fighters dropped the explosives on Arab Jabour in 10 strikes on 40 targets. The massive attack was part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a nationwide campaign launched Tuesday against al-Qaida in Iraq. "Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds," the statement said.