American Troops Open Fire On Iraqi Police, Officials Say

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi police said U.S. soldiers have mistakenly killed two security guards during a gun battle.

A military spokesman said the soldiers started shooting when a car came too close to an American armored patrol.

An American soldier in the lead vehicle of the convoy fired a warning shot to make the Iraqi vehicle move away, but its occupants returned fire on the convoy and sparked the gun battle.

(slightly more)

http://www.click2houston.com/news/4597427/detail.html

[whistle]

1. Must be all of that adrenalin, or steroids or......

...maybe the U.S. troops have scored some really good shit!

[Benhurst]

2. Who's can tell? They all look alike.

Bring the troops home!


On second thought, it's easy. The DEAD ones are the "insurgents."

[MisterP]

4. Seymour Hersch reported that in early '04 or thereabouts,

the military hired a dozen Iraqi local fellows to guard the granaries, and the common soldiers and the Iraqis got along well.
Then the COs ordered them to execute the lot to count them as insurgents because the body count wasn't being kept up.

[Benhurst]

5. I somehow missed that report, MisterP. Here's a link:

www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/10/11_hersh.shtml


Bring the troops home! Send Bush and Company to the Hague.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Thanks for posting this link. He's the best. n/t

[leftchick]

13. unspeakable horrors...

~snip~

There was more — rumors of atrocities around Iraq that to Hersh brought back memories of My Lai. In the evening's most emotional moment, Hersh talked about a call he had gotten from a first lieutenant in charge of a unit stationed halfway between Baghdad and the Syrian border. His group was bivouacking outside of town in an agricultural area, and had hired 30 or so Iraqis to guard a local granary. A few weeks passed. They got to know the men they hired, and to like them. Then orders came down from Baghdad that the village would be "cleared." Another platoon from the soldier's company came and executed the Iraqi granary guards. All of them.

"He said they just shot them one by one. And his people, and he, and the villagers of course, went nuts," Hersh said quietly. "He was hysterical, totally hysterical. He went to the company captain, who said, 'No, you don't understand, that's a kill. We got 36 insurgents. Don't you read those stories when the Americans say we had a combat maneuver and 15 insurgents were killed?'

"It's shades of Vietnam again, folks: body counts," Hersh continued. "You know what I told him? I said, 'Fella, you blamed the captain, he knows that you think he committed murder, your troops know that their fellow soldiers committed murder. Shut up. Complete your tour. Just shut up! You're going to get a bullet in the back.' And that's where we are in this war."

[dArKeR]

15. I never saw this one before, Thanks!

[Just Me]

11. That,...is,...horrible!

:cry:

shit

[Straight Shooter]

3. It's obvious we aren't training these Iraqi police very well.

Rule No. 1: When in a vehicle, keep your distance from jittery American troops.

[ahimsa]

7. Rule No. 2

Don't accidentally fire your weapons at them.

[BillZBubb]

9. You ACTUALLY believe the Iraqi's fired??????

Please.

[ahimsa]

18. No, I don't

That's why I said "accidentally" but next time I'll be sure to include :sarcasm:

[Endangered Specie]

6. I bet the ones responsible get off without much punishment

x(

[Enraged_Ape]

10. Can you say Charlie Foxtrot?

Winning hearts and minds, one heart and/or mind at a time.

[Just Me]

12. Lawless territory tends to produce a LOT of mistakes!!!

Especially territory occupied by folks who have no claim to that territory.

I've forgotten: why are we in Iraq?

[Javaman]

14. Iraqi Police job description....

Wanted: Iraqi Police

Low wages, high risk

Must be prepared to fired and perhaps kill own countrymen, while at the same time be shot, blow up or kidnapped by either your same countrymen or the US. Army.

Also be aware that your armor and weapons will be grossly substandard.

You may or may not be issued a uniform, so bring and extra pair of sneakers.

Please line up in a giant visible group at the local police station to show the resistance fighters who's boss.

[Igel]

16. Police or security guards?

Headline says one, article says the other, and they're seldom the same thing.

[Voltaire99]

17. What can you say about such wanton destruction?

This much, anyway: it revolts me that my taxes are used for this slaughter.

And this: no politician who supports this despicable war will ever get my vote.