LAT: Shots to the Heart of Iraq:Civilians Increasingly Killed by US Troops

[DeepModem Mom]

Shots to the Heart of Iraq
Innocent civilians, including people who are considered vital to building democracy, are increasingly being killed by U.S. troops.

By Richard C. Paddock, Times Staff Writer


....Angered by the growing number of unarmed civilians killed by American troops in recent weeks, the Iraqi government criticized the shootings and called on U.S. troops to exercise greater care.

U.S. officials have repeatedly declined requests to disclose the number of civilians killed in such incidents. Police in Baghdad say they have received reports that U.S. forces killed 33 unarmed civilians and injured 45 in the capital between May 1 and July 12 — an average of nearly one fatality every two days. This does not include incidents that occurred elsewhere in the country or were not reported to the police.

The continued shooting of civilians is fueling a growing dislike of the United States and undermining efforts to convince the public that American soldiers are here to help. The victims have included doctors, journalists, a professor — the kind of people the U.S. is counting on to help build an open and democratic society.

"Of course the shootings will increase support for the opposition," said Farraji, 49, who was named a police general with U.S. approval. "The hatred of the Americans has increased. I myself hate them."

Among the biggest threats U.S. forces face are suicide attacks. Soldiers are exposed as they stand watch at checkpoints or ride on patrol in the turrets of their Humvees. The willingness of the assailants to die makes the attacks difficult to guard against. By their nature, the bombings erode the troops' trust of the public; every civilian becomes suspect....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-civilians25jul25,0,815578.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[mike_c]

1. INCREASINGLY??!!

WTF-- who do they think has been killing them for the last two years?

[dArKeR]

2. I've sort-of been reading the news lately and I don't remember any reports

published on this topic.



http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/photo/2005/07/22/2005039450

[FloridaPat]

3. This has to be wrong. It's the insurgency that's the problem. We're

doing a great job over there winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. And all those terrorists sneaking over the border of - which country our we blaming this week?? (Hard to keep up with the blame game). Maybe it's Korea's fault. They're the third axis of evil so they should be in here somewhere. I'm sure they're sneaking Koreans over the border of (still don't know who's up this week).

Yes, * is doing a great job in Iraq. And just because we killed 4 million Vietnamese citizens to bring Vietnamzation to Vietnam, I'm sure our honest, straight forward government isn't going to kill more than the 128,000 they've already killed (plus the 500,000) before the invasion) to Iraqize Iraq.

[daleo]

4. A police general in the puppet government says this:

"Of course the shootings will increase support for the opposition," said Farraji, 49, who was named a police general with U.S. approval. "The hatred of the Americans has increased. I myself hate them."

That says it all.

[WhiteTara]

18. wow. that does say it all

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW
IMPEACH BUSH AND SEND HIM TO THE HAGUE
TRY ROVE AS A TRAITOR AND LET HIM FACE THE FIRING SQUAD
:rant:

[dArKeR]

5. Crimes Against Humanity!

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/photo/2005/06/30/2005038159
Wife of Iraqi television producer Ahmed Wael Bakri looks at her husband's coffin during his funeral procession in Baghdad yesterday. Bakri was shot dead by US forces while driving ``too close'' to their military convoy a day earlier in southern Baghdad, an Iraqi interior ministry official said.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. But she hates us

for our freedoms. I can tell by the look on her face :sarcasm:

[Supersedeas]

13. blame Sadaam....blame Clinton....blame the first Bush for now invading

[Roy]

6. This is sick.....

(snip)
"Nothing in the rules of engagement takes away the right of self-defense for him and his buddies if the soldier feels threatened," he said.
(snip)

But, an Iraqi who exercises his right right of self defense in his own country is a terrorist though.

I don't remember not one Iraqi from Iraq inviting these thugs to come to their country and shock and awe them.

[enough]

7. kick

[Supersedeas]

8. No worries....Karen Hughes is here to clean up the PR mess

[WhiteTara]

17. and that in itself is really sick n/t

[Robb]

9. The shootings will continue until morale improves. n/t

[Dhalgren]

11. This is what we have been saying for over two years.

We are creating our own anti-Americans as we go.

"Now, after they killed my husband, I hate them," she said. "I want to blow them all up."

We are villains. We are monsters. We are fascists - and the whole world knows it, except for the dim-witted Americans. We don't know that we are fascists. This is all so goddamned stupid; it is criminal, it is inhuman, and it is also goddamned stupid...

[Tai-chi]

12. Looks like a genocide is going on

against the Iraqi people,
shoot-to-kill, starving, lack of medicine, water shortage, power shortage...

next up in Iraq: bird flue?

And: who are these "insurgents", by the way?

U.S. forces behind children bomb
7/18/2005

http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=9361

[bemildred]

14. "Increasingly Killed"

Sigh, who writes this stuff?

[Sparkman]

15. So the U.S. is sending 19 year olds, as the Empire Strikes Back. SOP.

And big surprise "boys" who are armed like men, behave like children!
This is a minor incedent, people. It's just important because Maj. Gen. Farraji was nearly dusted, AND HE'S A "GOOD GUY". ALL of the 100,000 Iraqis killed by the U.S. empirical militia are equally victims, as is the mental, physical and spiritual destruction of a people. Genocide.

[realFedUp]

16. It's such a bitch occupying another country

Why do they hate us?

[David Zephyr]

19. Winning Iraqi Hearts...One U.S. Bullet at a Time.

When will a "gang of 14" among the Democratic National Party's leadership stand up and call for pulling the plug on this cluster-fuck catastrophe.