U.S. convoy's driving questioned in wreck that kills Iraqis

[laststeamtrain]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

U.S. convoy's driving questioned in wreck that kills Iraqis


By Hannah Allam, McClatchy Newspapers Hannah Allam, Mcclatchy Newspapers – Wed Jan 6, 10:22 am ET

HILLAH, Iraq — Dazed and blood-spattered, an Iraqi woman stumbled among the bodies of her relatives Wednesday on a strip of highway south of Baghdad where a U.S. military convoy had struck a passenger van in a deadly accident.

Badriya Hussein whispered prayers over the blanket-covered bodies and then looked at the stricken American soldiers standing nearby. "Why?" she asked. "Why?"

Iraqi forces and witnesses at the scene said the U.S. convoy was driving in the wrong lane when the vehicles collided, killing five members of one family and injuring seven more Iraqis and three American soldiers.

The 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team , which is part of the Oregon National Guard , disputes that its convoy was in the wrong lane, calling the incident a tragic accident.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100106/wl_mcclatchy/3393098

[Arctic Dave]

1. Wrong lane? That should be easy enough to figure out.

Or , at least until the military stops dragging their feet and comes out with the real facts.

[14thColony]

2. It's the 41st BCT from Oregon...great

I had the misfortune to be billeted in one of these yahoos' camps during their (and my) year in Afghanistan 2006-2007. I saw enough crap from them on a daily basis that this doesn't surprise me one tiny bit. Every time me and my team rolled out we would make sure we were well the hell clear of any 41st BCT convoys. I was only mildly concerned with the Taliban, but these guys I considered a legit threat to my personal well-being. The average soldiers were fine, but some of their NCOs and most of their officers were somewhat...lacking, shall we say.