Iraqi police shoot dead four US soldiers: ministry

[sabra]

Source: AFP

Iraqi policemen shot dead four US soldiers and their local interpreter in the main northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, an interior ministry official said.

"Four US soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed by two Iraqi policemen who opened fire at them in the Dawasa district of Mosul and then fled," the official told AFP, declining to be identified.

Read more: http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=mideast&item=090224144754.k7kzjct4.php

---

Voice of Iraq has a report that appears to be re: the same incident though only mentions the interpreter:

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=108673

Urgent / policeman attacks U.S. patrol, kills translator in Mosul

February 24, 2009 - 02:11:21

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: One Iraqi translator was killed when an Iraqi policeman opened fire targeting a U.S. patrol in western Mosul city, a security source from Ninewa province said on Tuesday.

“The incident took place near the 5th bridge in Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, explaining that the attack caused casualties among the U.S. patrol’s servicemen.

“U.S. forces cordoned off the area,” he said.

The source did not mention further details, while U.S. forces have not yet commented on the issue or the related casualties among the patrol’s servicemen.

For his part, a medical source confirmed that the morgue in Mosul received the body of an interpreter.

[tekisui]

1. Get our soldiers the hell out.

[theoldman]

3. The problem is that we are taking them out of Iraq and sending

them to Afghanistan. Last I heard Afghanistan is not any safer.

[tekisui]

6. From the frying pan into the fire. Bring them home.

[maddezmom]

2. and 3 soldiers and an interpreter were killed yesterday

the story said while fighting, but now I'm wondering if there is something else going on.:(

[sabra]

4. I just posted some more info from an Iraqi news source... we'll see how this develops :-(

[T Wolf]

5. You put thousands of psychos with heavy weaponry together in one place and expect this not to happen

Just more collateral damage from our illegal war against people who look different.

US military will NOT be coming home anytime soon. And more of them will be going to kill Afghans soon.

[Bonobo]

7. Maybe they were serving and protecting the Iraqi people.... their job you know. nt

[Grinchie]

19. So You are saying the Iraqi People can't protect themselves?

If that isn't the most pompous statement I've heard from the Apologists, I'l build a 3 billion dollar nuclear submarine and use it for Happy Fun Cruise charters.

If you have not noticed, the Iraqi's were a disciplined group when held together by Saddam Hussein, who was after all, a creature of our making.

People that like to infer that somehow Nationalism is only a trait of the United States is either insanely stupid, or pathologically insane.

Nationalism is the fact that more British stood against the Iraq war, and actually got off their asses and demonstrated to no avail, thus proving that they really have no control of the Government hawks that see war as a way to boost a failing economy, at the bargain price of a few good men and a shitload of expensive machinery, most of the guts of which are made from outsourced parts.

"Serving and Protecting" right. More like severing the arms and legs and protecting the inept Bush government from trial in the world courts.

Now Obama get to pick up the pieces, and just watch as the repugs use this incident to implement the death of a thousand cuts.

I served in the Military, and they train you in the value of Nationalism. It's the only thing that keeps you going when faced with the lawful slaughter of other human beings. However, Ethics must stand in all cases, and that is something that America has very little of, all due to the pursuit of the almighty, phony dollar.

The Iraqi's can take care of themselves. That's the trouble, the oil companies know that they will be shut out.

[No Elephants]

8. Support the troops. Bring 'em home. Pete Seeger.

[Tempest]

9. They were killed by weapons we gave the Iraqis

Mosul is where the Iraqi Awakening operate out of.

Bush armed them and forced the Iraqi government to make them part of the police force.

[Mari333]

10. what all of you said

bring them home and stop both of these fking wars.

[sabra]

11. Update: US Mil says US soldiers wounded

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gh9Q0OehviIrDI4xTdVSEXFCfHmgD96I24FG0

US soldiers wounded, interpreter killed in Iraq


BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. soldiers were wounded and an interpreter was killed in an attack on a police station Tuesday, the U.S. military announced — the third brazen assault in the past two weeks on American forces in northern Iraq.

It was not immediately known how many soldiers were wounded, Lt. Col. Dave Doherty, a military spokesman, said in a statement. He said a second interpreter was also wounded.

...

An Iraqi police official said the attack took place in Mosul, a city in Ninevah province 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. Mosul is considered one of the last strongholds of Sunni insurgents.

The attack occurred about 3:30 p.m. when two people, who appeared to be Iraqi police officers, opened fire at a police checkpoint, said the official, who works at the Ninevah military command post.

Iraqi Brig. Gen. Saeed Ahmed al-Jubouri said the shooting wounded three U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi police captain. He said the gunmen fled in a car, and that police were searching for the attackers.

[sabra]

12. more from CNN: Reports murky on whether U.S. soldiers killed by Iraqi police

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/02/24/iraq.soldiers.killed/

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- There were conflicting reports Tuesday over whether four U.S. soldiers and their interpreter were shot and killed by Iraqi police in the northern city of Mosul.

An official with Iraq's Interior Ministry told CNN that the four American soldiers had been killed, but the U.S. military only said an Iraqi interpreter was killed.

The Iraqi official said the assailants were members of the protection services responsible for securing bridges.

The soldiers were at the police headquarters when police fired on them, the official said.

The U.S. military solely said, "At approximately 2 p.m. today there was a small arms attack on an station in Mosul. Coalition forces and Iraqi police were conducting a meeting at the time of the attack. Initial reports indicate one Iraqi interpreter was killed in the attack."

[Taverner]

13. Excuse me, why the fuck are we still in Iraq?

[Prometheus Bound]

14. Oil, military bases

[Grinchie]

22. Mukasy, Petraeus, Rumsfeld, Clinton

And about a thousandsOil Company Lobbiests who claim our democracy will end if we leave Iraq.

Not to mention the Rand Corporation think tank types that never planned for a Military that did not have or could procure enough oil to actually operate.

[kpete]

15. UPDATE: US DENIES TROOPS KILLED; MINISTRY SAID IRAQI POLICE SHOT, KILLED FOUR GI'S

Source: Raw Story

UPDATE: US DENIES TROOPS KILLED; MINISTRY
SAID IRAQI POLICE SHOT, KILLED FOUR GI'S

Iraqi police shoot dead four US soldiers: ministry
Agence France-Presse
Published: Tuesday February 24, 2009

Update at bottom: US denies soldiers were killed
................................

US denies soldiers were killed


At least three US soldiers were wounded and a local interpreter killed in a shooting at an Iraqi police station in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, the US military said.

"Several soldiers were injured in the attack. However none were killed," US Colonel Bill Buckner told AFP, amid conflicting reports on the shootings.

But an interior ministry official in Baghdad said two policemen shot dead four US soldiers and their local interpreter at the police station in central Mosul.

The official ruled out an insurgent attack, saying the assailants were known policemen from local tribes. He added that police and US forces had launched a manhunt at their homes in and around Mosul.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Iraqi_police_shoot_dead_four_US_0224.html

[Common Sense Party]

16. Well, that's one big ball of confusion.

What the heck happened?

[MADem]

17. Looks like the Iraqi Interior Ministry official shot off his mouth with incomplete info.

In Washington, the defence department said four US soldiers were wounded along with the second interpreter, and the military in Baghdad later updated to four from three its report on the number of wounded.

That was later confirmed by the military in Baghdad, which had said earlier that three soldiers had been hospitalised.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gKiwjBmQM3xIzNqxki7OaJ8sw7wA

Iraqi police attack US soldiers, translator killed 24 Feb 2009 16:38:29 GMT
Source: Reuters
MOSUL, Iraq, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were wounded and their interpreter was killed at a police station in northern Iraq on Tuesday, in an attack that Iraqi security sources said was carried out by rogue Iraqi police.

The sources said that two members of a police force tasked with guarding bridges opened fire at the American soldiers and their interpreters during a visit to the police station in Mosul, Iraq's most violent city,.

Lieutenant Colonel David Doherty, a U.S. military spokesman, said four U.S. soldiers and one interpreter were injured, and another interpreter was killed. He did not immediately confirm the identity of the attackers.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LO660195.htm

[ProgrezivIndie]

18. when conflicting stories of this nature arise, the best source of confirmation

would be press releases from the Commander MNF web site:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=1&id=4&Itemid=128

...nothing is posted there as of this time,
but they do post about "U.S. Troop Deaths in Iraq"
and initial surrounding circumstances related thereto,
long before names are released by DoD at:

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/

[ProgrezivIndie]

20. sad to say, it appears this has been confirmed by Commander MNF - Iraq

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25513&Itemid=21

I just found this recent press release (as linked above)...

***************************
***************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20090223-04
Feb. 23, 2009

Three MND-N Soldiers die in combat operations

Multi-National Division – North

TIKRIT, Iraq – Three U.S. Coalition Soldiers and an interpreter died as a result of combat operations in Diyala Province, Iraq, Feb. 23.

The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the U.S. Department of Defense.

***************************
***************************

[sabra]

21. even sadder to say this is a separate incident - the one you are linking to is from yesterday :-(

[ProgrezivIndie]

25. it seems you're correct, there are TWO such incidents in as many days?

I hope this is not the beginning of something even bigger!

"The Commander MNF - IRAQ" article which I cited was apparently a separate incident... if so, there should be a separate press release about this one. They typically get posted within 24 hours, following confirmation/investigation (trying to allay the "fog of war" ya know?)... but nothing related, here:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=1&id=4&Itemid=128

for today's date (24 February 2009), as of this time.

[sabra]

26. seems like some of the details are starting to come out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3753545&mesg_id=3754070

[ProgrezivIndie]

27. yep, Commander MNF-Iraq has posted a press release on this incident

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25553&Itemid=128

[Grinchie]

23. Vietnam all over again. Thanks "W"

You smirking chimp. Bipartisanship my ass, I want blood, if only to raise the hackles of every thinking American in the country and get them riled enough to puts Bush's head on a Pike, displayed on the lawn of the White House. Thats the only way this disfunctional Government will get the idea that we aren't going to take this BS anymore.

[sabra]

24. another update from AP: 1 US soldier killed in attack by Iraqi police

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hwK_CSpBxsNuVUEaDuOwmSSCiqGwD96I4J6G2

1 US soldier killed in attack by Iraqi police


BAGHDAD (AP) — Two policemen opened fire on U.S. troops visiting an Iraqi police station in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, killing a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi interpreter and wounding three other Americans, officials said.

It was the fourth such shooting in the Mosul area in just over a year purportedly involving Iraqi security forces, underscoring concerns about infiltration in a city considered the last urban stronghold of Sunni insurgents.

The U.S. military said one interpreter was killed and that a U.S. soldier died later of his wounds after the troops came under small-arms fire at a police station.

It said three other Americans also were wounded in the 2 p.m. attack in Mosul, about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.