Accounts Differ on Raid in Baghdad (Shiite Mosque)

[maddezmom]

Source: Washington Post

Witnesses Say Dead Were Civilians; U.S. Calls Them Armed

By Karin Brulliard
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 21, 2007; Page A11

BAGHDAD, March 20 -- The U.S. military, Iraqi government officials and witnesses here offered conflicting accounts Tuesday of whether several people killed during a Baghdad raid Monday night were armed insurgents or civilians gathered at a mosque.

According to a U.S. military statement, Iraqi soldiers assisting in a search for insurgents entered the Imam al-Abass mosque in Hurriyah, a formerly mixed Baghdad neighborhood that is now a stronghold of the Shiite Mahdi Army, before 9 p.m. Monday. About 50 people were detained as a search of the area continued. They were later released, the military said.

After the search, the statement said, a separate group of about 20 armed men attacked Iraqi and U.S. soldiers with rocket-propelled grenades and guns. The soldiers returned fire, killing three insurgents; three other armed men were detained, the military said. Military aircraft participated in the raid but did not fire, the statement said.

But Col. Mahmoud Abdul Hussein of Iraq's Interior Ministry said six civilians were killed and seven wounded when U.S. helicopters fired on homes after coming under attack from armed men. Another ministry spokesman, Sami Jabarah, said late Tuesday that the casualties had risen to eight killed and 11 wounded.

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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032001578.html

[saigon68]

1. FREEDOM IS ON THE MARCH

[randycrow]

2. A Neocon led USA is on the side of Saddam Hussein Baathist Sunni communi$t$

The USA military are directing our brave soldiers to deliberately kill Shiites in the most unGodly ways. Shiites are non communi$t$ and Sunni are communi$t$. We are clearly fighting on the side of the communi$t$. Combine fighting on the side of communi$t$ around the world with the fact the Executive and US Congress are not keeping their Oath of Office to protect and defend the US Constitution and the situation translates in to the fact the USA is in a state of Civil War and the USA is being ruled by as a de facto Dictatorship. The vast majority of Americans do not have a clue.

[uppityperson]

4. Welcome to DU.

[Supersedeas]

3. Nothing to see here -- feed them more GOP vagaries about Executive Privilege