Locals Claim U.S. Killed 17 Civilians, Not Insurgents

[cal04]

Source: Washington Post

The U.S. military is investigating the killings of 17 people in a U.S. helicopter attack north of Baghdad a week ago, after residents of the area complained that the victims were not fighters from the group al-Qaeda in Iraq, as the military originally claimed, but members of a village guard force and ordinary citizens.

A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Col. Christopher C. Garver, said the June 22 incident in Khalis, about 30 miles north of Baghdad, was under investigation "because of discussions with locals who say it didn't happen as we reported it." The attack occurred in the opening days of Operation Arrowhead Ripper, an offensive against al-Qaeda in Iraq that is centered on Baqubah, about 10 miles southeast of Khalis.

A U.S. military statement on the day of the incident called the dead men "al-Qaeda gunmen" and said they were killed after trying to sneak into Khalis.

"Iraqi police were conducting security operations in and around the village when Coalition attack helicopters from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and ground forces from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, observed more than 15 armed men attempting to circumvent the IPs and infiltrate the village," the statement said.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/28/AR2007062800447.html?hpid=topnews

[ShortnFiery]

1. Strike up another "Mission Accomplished" banner to winning the Iraqi people's hearts and minds.

:eyes: Aside from our cowards in the Congress and The Unitary Executive Branch, is there ANY DOUBT that this war is FUBAR and hopeless? :shrug:

Sure, just like when we extracted our troops from Vietnam in 1975, there's going to be a bloodbath but IMO much better to get it "settled by the natives" than sit on our hands until 58,000 of our beloved troops come home in body bags, then flag-draped caskets that we are FORBIDDEN to view upon arrival back home. :(

[razors edge]

2. There will be more tomorrow

and the next day, we seem to be addicted to killing.

[PassingFair]

3. Locals...Insurgents... what's the difference?

Silly Iraqis.

:sarcasm:

:puke:

[Igel]

6. Money.

Kill an insurgent, his family gets squat.

Kill a civilian, and his family gets money. Maybe not a fortune, but something. When you have a brother or husband or son killed, something from the enemy is better than nothing. (Blood money is a time-honored way of dealing with accidental deaths, or deaths that are simply decreed to be accidental.)

Moreover, if you kill an insurgent his family is under suspicion, and further deaths to any other insurgent family members is expected. Kill a civilian, and his family is suddenly grievously wronged and any further deaths to family members yields more money.

So when you hear Iraqi claims that somebody was a civilian while the US Army says they were militants, remember that both sides have a reason to lie through their teeth.

[MidwestTransplant]

4. Everybody who is killed there is Al Qaida. It's amazing how that's been the case in the last month

or so.

[David__77]

5. Yep, just millions of al Qaida arounf Iraq.

Men, women, children, blind, beggers - all over the place. All al Qaida.

[ckramer]

7. LOL

But it's pretty much the case there in Iraq.

More soldiers' life will be wasted for NOTHING