Polish soldier accidently shot and killed in Iraq

[DuctapeFatwa]

A Polish soldier died in Iraq late Monday from injuries sustained when his gun went off accidently as he was cleaning it, the defense ministry said.

The soldier, whose identity was not released, was injured in the military camp at Karbala, southwest of Baghdad, and was taken to the town's hospital where he died, ministry spokesman Adam Stasinski told AFP.

He was the second Polish soldier to die in Iraq.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.2741092.1072157119&manuel_call_cat=18&manuel_call_prod=30826&manuel_call_mod=afp&modele=jdc_inter

[burrowowl]

1. Give me a break

It was suicide or other. Soldiers know how to make sure gun isn't loaded when cleaning it. Or maybe Polish jokes have a ring of truth. But, I don't think so.

[TheLastMohican]

2. He was killed in action

The reports of Iraqi insurgents reported yesterday an attack on Polish patrol. Precisely 1 dead and 2 wounded on that incident. Somehow the news managed to filter through.

[liberalnurse]

3. Wasn't the President of Poland there

to visit?

[Judi Lynn]

5. Yeah. I just looked to see if I could find any more on it

found this odd, cryptic message:

Polish soldier accidentally shot shortly after president visits troops

WARSAW, Poland — A Polish soldier in Iraq was accidentally shot to death yesterday, just after President Aleksander Kwasniewski ended a visit there.

Shortly after Kwasniewski sang Christmas carols with some of his country's 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and told them their mission would make the world a safer place, the defense ministry said a soldier accidentally shot one of his compatriots who was cleaning a weapon.

Kwasniewski defended Poland's role in the Iraq war against the anti-war views of some opposition parties and many Poles. "Poland will never deny its help when peace needs to be defended and when fighting terror becomes necessary," he said.
(snip/...)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001821329_iraqdig23.html

Very strange, isn't it?

[wingnut]

6. I dunno

I've seen many soldiers who have horrible gun-handling practices. Usually depends on if they are froma combat arm or not.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Killed while cleaning his gun

And I have wonderful prime time sea front property here in the great state of Nevada.