Insurgents lobbed a mortar into a neighbourhood in southern Baghdad, killing five civilians and injuring another eight, witnesses told dpa Thursday. The witnesses said the rockets fell on a street in Baya neighbourhood late Wednesday, killing and injuring bystanders. In Ramadi three civilians were killed and another 18 injured when they were caught in crossfire between insurgents and U.S. troops in the centre of the city late on Wednesday. Hospital sources told dpa that a number of those injured are in critical condition. Witnesses in Ramadi said a roadside bomb exploded while a U.S. convoy was passing, destroying the military vehicle. No verification was available from the U.S. army. In another development, the half brother of former deposed president Saddam Hussein has been questioned by an Iraqi special tribunal, according to press remarks published Thursday. Al-Sabah daily, said Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan was interrogated by the court on charges of killing and displacing Shiite Kurds in the 1980s. Quoting tribunal sources, the paper said former senior Baath party member Mizban Khudhir Hadi was also questioned over the killing of Shiites during their revolt against the government following the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait. Earlier this week, Saddam was also questioned on other killing charges. --SP 1000 Local Time 0700 GMT
