Pentagon: U.S. troops shot 429 Iraqi civilians at checkpoints

[Hissyspit]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Pentagon: U.S. troops shot 429 Iraqi civilians at checkpoints
By Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — U.S. soldiers have killed or wounded 429 Iraqi civilians at checkpoints or near patrols and convoys during the past year, according to military statistics compiled in Iraq and obtained by McClatchy Newspapers.

The statistics are the first official accounting of civilian shootings since the war began, and while they seem small compared with the thousands who've died in Iraq's violence, they show the difficulty that the U.S. has in fulfilling its vow to protect civilians.

The numbers cover what the military calls escalation-of-force incidents, in which American troops fire at civilians who've come too close or have approached checkpoints too quickly. In the months since U.S. commanders have dispatched more troops to the field— ostensibly to secure Iraqi communities— the number of Iraqis killed and injured in such incidents has spiked, the statistics show.

Pentagon officials have declined repeatedly to reveal the numbers of civilian deaths and injuries caused by American troops. The escalation-of-force statistics, however, were part of a recent briefing given to Army Gen. David Petraeus , the commander of coalition forces in Iraq . A person familiar with the briefing provided the statistics to McClatchy.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070711/wl_mcclatchy/20070711bcusiraqcheckpointsexclusive_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop

[ixion]

1. freedom on the march

:sarcasm:

[leftchick]

2. if they are admitting 429

the real number it more likely 3 or 4 times that. :(

[katmondoo]

3. Beyond disgusting

[cureautismnow]

4. Winning Hearts and Minds...

:cry:

[gratuitous]

5. Is that what we invaded Iraq to do?

Gee, this mission creep just gets creepier all the time. But I can't imagine why the Iraqis would be sore at us. It must be Al Qaeda in Iraq that's blowing up our troops!

This round of Republican logic brought to you by your friendly neighborhood amplifiers for the Mighty Republican Wurlitzer (motto: if it doesn't make any fucking sense at all, so much the better). Additional funding provided by Fox News, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, CNN Headline News, and your local cable company, which helpfully pipes every last second of this odious programming directly into your home without any choice or recourse if you want decent reception.

[L0oniX]

6. Baby killers!

"Military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy." -- Henry Kissinger

[19jet54]

7. Question?

... since insurgents do not wear uniforms, how does one know the difference between a dead civilian vs a dead insurgent?

"We are having trouble finding the enemy; we ask them - 'Are you the enemy?' and if they say 'yes' we shoot them!" - Good Morning Vietnam, Robin Williams

[genie_weenie]

8. What you have are

young men (and women) at check points filled with fear and rage. There are no rear areas. Every car becomes a potential VBIED. Every Iraqi male (G2 has credible intel of women as well) 12-84 may have a suicide vest on.

A beat up taxi spewing smoke from it's tailpipe with a man and woman in the front seats comes screaming towards a checkpoint,
they seem to ignore the warning signs (hastily written in arabic on a piece of wood),
they don't slow down as the razor wire funnels them towards a barricade,
they seem oblivious to the shouts and wild gesticulations from the 3-4 marines, And...

A 2 second touch on the butterfly...

[MsMagnificent]

9. At least 10 times that

just judging by the head story on 'The Other War: Iraq Vets Bear Witness'
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070730/hedges/6

and 'Marines face scrutiny in Iraqi deaths'
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-marines5jul05,1,4084268.story?coll=la-headlines-world


I haven't been able to check yet if both are in LBN & discussion -- would certainly hope so!