Tuesday, October 18 2005 14:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: Iraq has been forced to delay the announcement of results from its referendum on a new constitution after the country's electoral commission said it was rechecking ballots.

The news came amid reports from the restive city of Ramadi that US air strikes in the western Sunni-dominated Al-Anbar province Sunday had killed several civilians, including children.

As workers tallied votes in Baghdad, the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said yesterday (Oct 18, 2005) it 'needs several more days to complete this difficult and complex operation after finding that the figures from most provinces were too high,' in an apparent reference to turnout levels.

"This will require re-examination, comparison and verification because they are relatively high compared with international averages for elections," a statement said.

"The commission will only announce results when they have been verified."

The delay came after the commission said six majority Shiite provinces in southern Iraq had voted by more than 90 percent in favour of the constitution, while two Sunni-dominated provinces appeared to have rejected the text, by 80 per cent in Salaheddin and by 54 percent in Diyala.

The ballots were cast just days before former dictator Saddam Hussein was to stand trial on the first of what could be several cases of crimes against humanity.

Officials estimated that more than half of Iraq's 15.5 million registered voters had cast ballots in the essentially peaceful referendum on Saturday.