Slash and Burn (Dahr Jamail interviews Iraqi survivors in hospital)

[Barrett808]

Just three days ago soldiers attacked the home of Fatima Harouz. Her uncle was killed while the family claims there were no resistance in the area.

She lays dazed in the crowded hospital room, languidly waving her bruised arm at the flies. Her shins, shattered by bullets from US soldiers when they fired through the front door of her house, are both covered by casts. Small plastic drainage backs filled with red fluid sit upon her abdomen, where she took shrapnel from another bullet.

Fatima Harouz, 12 years old, lives in Latifiya, a city just south of Baghdad. Just three days ago soldiers attacked her home. Her mother, standing with us says, “They attacked our home and there weren’t even any resistance fighters in our area.” Her brother was shot and killed, and his wife was wounded as their home was ransacked by soldiers. “Before they left, they killed all of our chickens,” added Fatima’s mother, her eyes a mixture of fear, shock and rage.

A doctor standing with us, after listening to Fatima’s mother tell their story, looks at me and sternly asks, “This is the freedom…in their Disney Land are there kids just like this?”

Another young woman, Rana Obeidy, was walking home with her brother two nights ago. She assumes the soldiers shot her and her brother because he was carrying a bottle of soda. This happened in Baghdad. She has a chest wound where a bullet grazed her, unlike her little brother who is dead.

Laying in a bed near Rana is Hanna, 14 years old. She has a gash on her right leg from the bullet of a US soldier. Her family was in a taxi in Baghdad this morning which was driving near a US patrol when a soldier opened fire on the car.

Her father’s shirt is spotted with blood from his head which was wounded when the taxi crashed.

(more)

http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/archives/dispatches/000122.php

[mitchtv]

1. terrorists, nothing to see here, move along...

Gays can't get married , now that's important

[Bragi]

2. Egads

How many of these whining stories will we have to endure before these people stop hating freedom? We've got to stop coddling these children in Iraq. They should just suck it up and move on.

/sarcasm as coping mechanism

[HeeBGBz]

4. Be sure to get ALL the insurgent chickens too.

Colonel Sanders would be proud.

[Magleetis]

3. US Military, Insurgents, Iraqi National Gaurd, Terrorists

cold blooded killers all.

[bhikkhu]

11. Support the troops...

When they come home and try to put their guns and memories away. Lord knows they are going to need it...

[Magleetis]

15. Support the troops

is such a BS right wing catch phrase. What does it mean anyway? No magnets on my car.

[PunkPop]

5. I fear for this guy's life

His 'reality-based' reporting is none too appreciated by the guys with the heavy weapons (that would be our side) and the itchy trigger fingers.

Be safe Dahr wherever you are.

[Barrett808]

6. Agreed -- Dahr has guts

He's doing an immense public service.

[Weembo]

7. Dahr is a hell of a guy

From a hell of a family here in Houston. He's pretty fearless, and his dad is someone who is absolutely fearless (besides being the best trial lawyer around)!

[DELUSIONAL]

8. The bad guys are the ones who hurt children

this is my simplistic way of dealing with this overload of information.

GOPig policies hurt children -- so therefore GOPigs are bad.

Soldiers who harm children -- and traumatize children -- are bad.

Wow that was easy --

Sometimes when I am so frustrated about the hurt done to children -- I just have to simplify.

I know we all wish that we could take away the hurt of these children.

[Just Me]

9. I simply cannot express,...in words,...how I feel,...

,...let alone think about this very dark tunnel I find myself travelling.

I'm so sorry I don't have the power to stop this death train.

I mourn.

:cry:

I mourn.

I still believe that, we will find our way,...together,...we will overcome all obstacles. The HUMAN SPIRIT will prevail against all odds.

But,...I still :cry: and :cry: and :cry:

[mitchtv]

10. Good morning Iraq Nam

starting to look all too familiar

[Barrett808]

12. Yeah, watch "Fog of War" -- Iraq is amazingly reminiscent n/t

[leftchick]

13. Allawi says there are no civilian casualties....

Welcome to IRAQNAM! :(

[progressivebydesign]

14. Insult to injury.... look at the doll by her bedside.

A nice, fair skinned, blonde, western featured doll to cheer her up. Wonder if it looks like the people that bombed her house and killed her family?

[bin.dare]

18. that caught my eye too

it attests to the innocence of children. these are not "foreign" dolls or blond dolls, they are baby dolls. young girls love baby dolls.
I grew up in a country that was almost 100% white and yet black dolls were quite common. innocent children do not see what we see, what a pity they must grow up to be like us.

[Malva Zebrina]

16. killed all the chickens

Why?

So the surviving family could not have a source of food? Target practice and the fun of it all? Feels good to kill anything? Intimidation? Chickens are Satan? Why kill the chickens the family kept? I cannot imagine the horror that is going on there.

[leftchick]

17. it is right out of Platoon...

and Apocalype Now isn't it?