On the unsubstantiated "8 soldiers killed" RUMOR

[markses]

All mentions so far of the "8 soldiers killed" rumor come from the same al-Arabiya source. There has been no independent confirmation of this story, no matter how many world news outlets repeat the claim.

Not only is there no independent corraboration for the al-Arabiya story, the initial AP account is even internally inconsistent. A journalist can't get close enough to see anything but the flames before Americans shoot at him, yet these so-called eye witnesses (Iraqis!) are hanging around counting the dead in the middle of a fierce firefight? Makes no sense.

However, the fact that this rumor has spread beyond any bounds of reason (especially given al-Arabiya's poor track record, and the notorious inflation of casualties by Iraqi "eyewitnesses") does signal a subtle shift.

Last week CENTCOM ceased posting casualty press releases on its website. To look at it now, you'd think we were in the old Saigon Five O'Clock Follies: Nothing but blue skies and happy children in the press releases. The fact that the entirety of the foreign press has run with this unsubstantiated al-Arabiya report is a smackdown of the new CENTCOM policy: You won't say anything, so we'll run with the worst-case scenario.

The press in Iraq is, apparently, fed up. That's the ONLY importance of this story until it receives some real confirmation. Simply posting thatyet another foreign press source CITES the al-Arabiya report doesn't act as confirmation of the story, in any case.

[pretzel4gore]

1. 8 US soldiers were BORN, (again) not killed!

they mean, according to Fox news!
the tellers of 'lying lies' etc

[IndianaGreen]

2. Fact: US soldiers have opened fire on reporters

Another fact: CENTCOM only reports the number of wounded when there have been killed in action.

And one last fact: Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez admitted that there are about 10-15 incidents a day in Iraq in which US troops come under fire.

Theory: US only reports incidents when there is a Western reporter present. This means that the number of wounded and dead are underreported.

[markses]

3. Your own facts

Only speak to the notion that the number of wounded is underreported, a notion with which I wholeheartedly agree.

But the stretch is that the number of (US) dead is under-reported. Your facts don't speak to that side of the theory at all. (It is a truism that the number of Iraqi deaths is underreported).

In any case, it has very little to do with my post.

[Fish Eye]

7. I happen to agree with you but...

do you have any thoughts as to why CENTCOM does this? There seams to be an awful lot of "coming under fire" for the casualties to not be large in number.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. Robert Fisk is reporting this story

in the Independent.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp?story=444826

Another day, another death-trap for the US

Eight American troops killed as Bush admits no link between Iraq and 11 September attacks

By Robert Fisk in Khaldiya

19 September 2003

The American Humvee had burnt out, the US troop transporter had been smashed by rockets and an Iraqi lorry - riddled by American bullets in the aftermath of the attack - still lay smouldering on the central reservation.

more... (But you have to pay for it.)

[markses]

5. He's pulling the number from al-Arabiya, like everyone else

So, still the one unsubstantiated source.

That SOMETHING happened to that convoy (i.e., that it was attacked and sustained both personnel and equipment damage) is fairly clear.

But Robert Fiske is not a corroborating source when he simply cites the al-Arabiya story.

[Fish Eye]

6. The same R. Fisk that

went on and on about the Iraqi deffenses and how they were going to kickass against the American troops? This guy is way out there with the truth. I hate to burst the bubble of the Fisk worshipers out their but his credability is on par with Fox News...just MHO

[lindashaw]

8. I don't know about you, but I find this hostility to reporters extremely

disheartening. Remember how many years it took for us to find out the truth about Vietnam? This is not good.