Iraq Violence Takes Toll on Civilians

[cal04]

Second-grader Ali Talmasan Qassim sobbed as he sat beneath a palm tree outside a hospital, nursing a gunshot wound in his arm. A few miles away, the body of a young woman in a black chador lay in a pool of blood near a smoldering car.

Parts of her face were missing, but her eyes were wide open.

Iraqis tend to exaggerate or distort accounts of such deaths, and blaming the Americans is common. Killing at the hands of the Americans is proof of what Iraqis consider the brutality of the U.S. military.

The Americans say the incidental deaths of Iraqi civilians are often caused by failure to stop at checkpoints, being at the wrong place at the wrong time or because insurgents often hide among civilians.

Whatever the reason, civilian casualties have played a big part in deepening Iraqi resentment toward the United States -- and will most likely figure in the nation's collective memory of the occupation, scheduled to formally end June 30.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq-Civilians-Killed.html

[democratreformed]

1. Oh, so all our soldiers get to come home June 30?

"and will most likely figure in the nation's collective memory of the occupation, scheduled to formally end June 30."

Or is this sort-of like Bush's "end of the war" - HA HA.

How can people be so stupid?!?!?