In pictures: Shooting in Tal Afar

[CottonBear]

BBC link: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/middle_east_shooting_in_tal_afar/html/1.stm>

In pictures: Shooting in Tal Afar

US soldiers in Iraq approach a car after opening fire when it failed to stop at a checkpoint. Despite warning shots it continued to drive towards their dusk patrol in Tal Afar on 18 January.
Chris Hondros a photographer with Getty News was on hand to record these pictures.

WARNING: This gallery contains graphic images


This is a very disturbing series of pictures which includes the one of the little girl with blood on her hands. Her parents were killed by US soldiers at a roadblock in Iraq. No explanation as to why the car didn't stop. There were 5 children in the car.

[Willy Lee]

1. Hearts and minds. So sad.

[sabra]

2. How many people have to suffer?

[CottonBear]

3. Too many will suffer (mostly Iraqis).

Of course, since "we don't do body counts" we may never know who many families have been impacted by this war. I suspect that most Americans have never seen these sort of pictures of such horrible suffering.

[KansDem]

4. Why does this soldier have his face covered?

The one in the middle of the photo...looks like he has something over his head.

These are sad and tragic photos. Yesterday, I printed a copy of the one of the poor little girl crying with blood on her, and clipped it to fit inside the clear-plastic holder of my hang-tag ID badge I wear at work, as a protest against the inauguration. A few people asked about it...

I just might wear it from now on till Bush is out of office, or until management says something, whichever comes first.

[CottonBear]

5. To prevent identification by the media?

I had not noticed that. I'm sure that scared those poor children even more. I can't imagine their terror and fear when their parents were gunned down.

[KansDem]

6. Perhaps a translator or some other civilian working with US military?

Doesn't want the locals to see him/her for fear of reprisal?

Parents gunned down, children orphaned, and the ones who could possibly provide some modicum of comfort in speaking the children's language must remain anonymous by dressing in a way surely to frighten the children.

...must be Hell there...

[maxrandb]

7. Why Have I Not Seen This On

The "librul" media?

:wtf:

Move-on or someone needs to make this into an add. It seems that if it is sensational enough (read Swiftliars, or Willie Horton), the media will play it over and over and over and over again...

or is that just with Right-wing stuff?

:eyes:

[ConcernedNonpartisan]

8. Cut and paste

a rice paddy, a shack and a few trees and it would be reminiscent of a few years ago in a place far far away.