I have a question

[Ladyinblack]

On the Friday evening news there was a report of an investigation of American troupes for the slaughter and the attempt to cover up the killing of Iraq citizens. I have not read nor heard any more about this. One of the comments was that the mistreatment of prisoners would pale in comparison to this incident. Can someone please comment.

[babylonsister]

1. The place the massacre happened is in Haditha. Here's a

related link. It's unconscionable that American soldiers did this. I'm glad it's being reported on, and hope they get the full measure of punishment. The story on CBS claimed that once the word gets out, the reaction by Iraqis will be worse than their reactions to Abu Ghraib.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2591326

[hanginthere]

2. There have been more than one

But I don't know if this sort approach helps either the Iraqi civilians or the troops.
Face it, the soldiers are just underpaid tools of the regime. They are just boys who are being shot at by a lot of violent people, some of them not nice at all. When bullets start flying, civilians get hurt. Ask any policeman.

We need to attack the problem at the top.
This sort of thing, A bunch of young soldiers firing is weapons in a hostile environment is predictable. They were trained to fight on a battleground, not operate as a police force.
Playing up these events escalates the violence on both sides.

We need to focus our attention on the "deciders" and get our boys out of there.

In my opinion

[babylonsister]

4. The soldiers opened fire on innocent women and children. I won't

give them, or anyone, a pass for that.

[hanginthere]

7. I didn't know.

So much of the death is caused by guns being fired at people who are firing guns.

Bullets don't know from innocent.

I don't expect these boys to stand still while someone else is firing at them.
Maybe if they had better armor they could be more passive and cause less collateral damage.

[babylonsister]

8. I suggest you read the Times article below, and

then get back to me. The soldiers were angry and went after the closest target.
I've seen the pictures of the children with bullet holes shattering their skulls.
They deserve to pay for this imo.
And welcome to DU.

[hanginthere]

14. Umm

Yeah I just perused the initial article which suggested collateral damage.

I'm inclined to think that these guys didn't act correctly, certainly not the way I would want them to act in my neighborhood. But we have known for a long time that soldiers and law enforcement don't mix, and this sort of situation is not likely to occur here. Soldiers are for fighting wars, and police are for enforcing peace.

A part of the problem is that these guys are the wrong professionals in the wrong place.

The problem would be fixed if they just came home.

BTW, I read the other story, and there does seem to be element of one group of people saying one thing and another group saying something different. If I had to guess I would guess these guys acting in the heat of battle, without the calm and patience I expect from police in my neighborhood.
But I still think they are still in the realm of "innocent until pr oven guilty" even though we really want to convict without the inconvenience of a trial.

[babylonsister]

15. It's not that anyone wants to convict. I just don't want

vigilante soldiers seeking vigilante justice in my name against innocents.

[mike_c]

9. you should learn more about this story....

They didn't "stand still while someone was firing at them." The murders were retribution killings in the finest death squad tradition. Collective punishment of innocent civilians.

[lonestarnot]

6. More of those human trophy hunters.

[Minstrel Boy]

12. "They are just boys"

Know what? Fuck that shit. They shot babies in the fucking head.

Attack the problem at the top, middle and bottom. There are enough problems to keep us all busy and enough innocent blood to cover all the guilty.

[mdmc]

3. war is crime

don't know the specifics, but am gonna look at the link above.

[babylonsister]

5. Here's a fairly current Times article on what happened there:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1174649,00.html

[valerief]

10. Isn't Boot Camp designed to make a soldier crazy hungry to kill?

Once they're over there, aren't they all kind of bonkers through this brainwashing? I'm not attacking the solders but rather defending them. They're young and only human and are fueled by fear and the insane commands of their *deciders*. I'm sure seeing war firsthand, with all its dead and dismembered, has to affect them. And, as with Vietnam, I would imagine drugs are rampant. Probably lots of paranoid-inducing speed offset at times by heroin. Maybe even some military designer drugs we don't even know about.

Just speculating here.

[babylonsister]

11. Not all soldiers are like the ones who committed these

atrocities.

[valerief]

13. Of course, not. Some can resist the indoctrination. But some succumb. n/t