The mainstream media remains perfect-- 7 bogus reports in 7 weeks. Another exaggerated slaughter story made the news this weekend just like the bogus al-Kawwaz family "slaughter" made headlines last month.

There was another gruesome report from Diyala Province in Iraq this weekend. Reportedly, Al-Qaeda and local villagers suffered dozens of casualties in a massive attack.

Up to 51 Iraqis were reportedly killed during an Al-Qaeda attack including three women! The Herald Sun reported this news by Agence France-Presse:

AT least 39 people were killed in fierce clashes today between suspected al-Qaeda fighters and Sunni Arab villagers in the Iraqi province of Diyala, north-east of Baghdad, police said.

Baquba police Colonel Khairallah Ibrahim said two Sunni villages were attacked by al-Qaeda militants.

"Fierce fighting broke out between the villagers and al-Qaeda fighters in which 17 villagers and 22 al-Qaeda militants have been killed," he said.

Col Ibrahim said three women were among the villagers killed.

"Most of those killed from the villages were members of the anti-Qaeda front formed recently in the area," said another police officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim al-Obeidi.

The Times of India, among others, also carried this Diyala slaughter story. Iran Press TV reported that 51 were dead in the Diyala fighting.
RTTNews reported that 51 were killed in the Al-Qaeda attacks.

But, guess what? This was just another bogus report. It wasn't a mass slaughter after all. The MNF-Iraq forces investigated this Diyala attack thoroughly and wrote me with their findings Monday:

The Provincial Joint Coordination Center (PJCC) in Diyala reported an attack on the villages of Sufeit and Nye near Khalis by al-Qaeda on Dec 16. Two civilians were killed and three civilians were injured as a result of this attack.

** Two civilians were killed- Not 39 and not 51 like the media reported.

It was just another bogus exaggerated report of mass violence from Iraq.

Add this bogus report with the other six that were found out to be false and you have seven bogus slaughter reports from Iraq in seven weeks since October 29, 2007. The MSM keeps its perfect record.

Previous bogus reports the past seven weeks:

• The media's bogus report on 20 headless bodies in Diyala Province Nov. 1, 2007
• The media's bogus report on journalist Dia al-Kawwaz slaughtered family members (with photo!) Nov. 29, 2007
• The media's bogus Afghanistan "construction worker" bombing. Dec. 2, 2007
• The bogus Dwelah Massacre -December 2, 2007
• The bogus refinery rocket attack -December 10, 2007
• The bogus 12 mutilated bodies in Muqdadiya story-December 13, 2007
• The bogus Diyala village reports -December 16, 2007

—Jim Hoft is a blogger and media critic whose work appears at Gateway Pundit.