Disputed U.S. raid in Iraq reportedly kills a Maliki relative

[Barrett808]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Disputed U.S. raid in Iraq reportedly kills a Maliki relative
By Hannah Allam | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Friday, June 27, 2008

BAGHDAD — Outraged Iraqi officials demanded an investigation into an early-morning U.S. military raid Friday near the birthplace of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, saying the operation violated terms of the security handover of Karbala province.

Karbala Gov. Oqeil al Khazaali said U.S. forces killed an unarmed civilian and arrested at least one person in the raid in the Janaja district of the southern province. The governor’s brother, Hassanein al Khazaali, said late Friday that the Iraqi killed in the operation was a relative of the prime minister.

The U.S. military command in Baghdad did not comment on the raid. Two senior aides to Maliki were not available for comment; one was still in a meeting with the prime minister after midnight.

Iraqi officials in Karbala said the operation began at dawn Friday with U.S. aircraft delivering dozens of American troops to the rural Shiite Muslim area of Janaja, which is populated mostly by members of the Maliki tribe.

Khazaali, the U.S.-allied governor, denounced the operation at a news conference, saying the U.S. military had not coordinated in advance with Iraqi forces, which assumed control of Karbala security in October 2007. The governor said the raid set “a dangerous precedent” for areas ostensibly under full Iraqi control.

"The air drop confuses the agreements and America should answer for this violation," Khazaali said.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/42503.html

[Xipe Totec]

1. Woopsies!

Did we say terrorists? We meant hostages held by terrorists....


Which we killed....


Unfortunately, there was some collateral damage....

Here's your cousins' torso....



I have my men searching for the rest...

[badgervan]

2. Any Iraqi....

... who believes that the U.S. won't do what it damn well pleases there, is being bought off. What a crock: "Iraq is in Charge". Yeah, right. I wonder what percentage of oil profits will stay in country, vrs. the percentage that goes into the bank accounts of the CEO's of Exxon, Shell, BP, etc.
"Democracy" (?) at gunpoint. Perfect legacy for the shrub.

[Amonester]

5. Last I heard, it was something like 80%-20% "share".

Guess who's bank account the bigger number ends up in...

[Ian David]

3. Silly Iraqis, thinking they can hold us to terms that we've agreed to.

Didn't they see what Darth Vader did to Lando Calrissian?

Lando: "That was never a condition of our agreement, nor was giving Han to this bounty hunter!"
Vader: "Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?"
Lando: "...No."
Vader: "Good. It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a garrison here."

[Bush_MUST_Go]

4. That'll teach the bastards to not greet us with flowers & chocolate!

[Tempest]

6. This kind of thing will be common place if the security agreement is signed

And for decades.

[CanonRay]

7. So much for Iraqi sovereignty.

[struggle4progress]

8. Iraq says U.S. forces are responsible for killing Al-Maliki's relative

Last update: June 28, 2008 - 7:09 PM

BAGHDAD - Senior Iraqi government officials said Saturday that a U.S. Special Forces counterterrorism unit conducted the raid that reportedly killed a relative of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, potentially igniting a diplomatic crisis.

U.S. military officials in Baghdad had no comment for the second day in a row, an unusual position for a command that typically releases information on combat operations within 24 hours ...

The incident puts an added strain on U.S.-Iraqi negotiations to draft a Status of Forces Agreement, a long-term security pact that will govern the conduct of U.S. forces in Iraq. Members of the Iraqi government and security forces said the raid only deepened their reluctance to sign any agreement that did not leave Iraqis with the biggest say on when and how combat operations are conducted ...

"We are afraid now of signing the long-term pact between Iraq and America because of such unjustified violations by the troops," said Mohamed Hussein al-Musawi, a senior Najaf-based member of the prime minister's Dawa Party.

http://www.startribune.com/world/22498849.html?location_refer=Homepage:highlightModules:6

[MetaTrope]

9. So will al-Maliki get one of those nice $10,000 apology checks from Bush

in addition to whatever else he's already being paid under the table?

[gratuitous]

10. An investigation?! An INvestigation?!?!

Sure, we'll have an investigation. We'll have an investigation right fuckin' now. Here's yer investigation, Iraq. Not guilty on all counts. And we'll have to charge you for the bullets your corpses appropriated from our troops.

There. Investigation over. Happy? Great. Let's get on with the occupation.

[Supersedeas]

11. and investigation followed by a pithy phrased apology 6 months later