US Soldiers Killed Iraqi Civilians Yesterday

[oberliner]

This tragic story has interesting echoes with current discussions:

Excerpts:

Baghdad -- At least five people, including two women and a child, were killed early Friday morning in a raid by American special operations forces targeting suspected insurgents in Baquba.

<snip>

The Baquba operation was met with fury. Local residents and political leaders accused the United States of excessive force, saying there was no need to fire missiles, bombs or artillery shells at the house.

"They demolished three houses with children in them just because they wanted two insurgents?" asked Raad Dahlaki, chief of the municipal council in Baquba. "Why couldn't they just detain the men? Why did they have to demolish these three houses?"

<snip>

Military officials said they regretted the deaths of the civilians.

"It is always tragic when noncombatants are caught up in these raids," Johnson said. "And we regret the loss of civilian lives when going after al Qaeda members or any other terrorists or insurgents."


Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/22/MNGIHK3TLF1.DTL

[Redstone]

1. Same shit, different day.

Redstone

[iconoclastic cat]

2. This country is being led by some truly evil, amoral bastards.

And they're forcing their will on the most patriotic of all of us--those who serve--by brainwashing and stoplossing them into insanity.

[PsN2Wind]

Yet, strangely

no matter how many of them we kill, they still don't like us.

[beam me up scottie]

3. Yes.

Yes it does.

We created the insurgency by invading and occupying Iraq, and we use their reactions to justify our killing of innocent civilians.

[KG]

4. US soldiers have killed iraqi civilians every day since march 2003

[Monkeyman]

5. As a vet and and x Ranger I will this again not all Soldiers kill

I think they are on to many meds. Just a vet getting angry about Rumsfeld and his DOD killing our kids minds and remember here folk some families post here

[me b zola]

9. This sounds like it was the decision of the commanders, chain of command

This order could have come from on high.

Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. military spokesman, said U.S. forces in Baquba used "aerial fires" -- an assault from a helicopter, fighter plane or artillery piece -- to attack several houses after they were shot at from rooftops, and men were seen on the roofs potentially positioning themselves for an attack.

It's ok, Monkeyman. This reads more like new pentagon policy rather than individual soldiers. Most of us are plenty pissed off at how rumdum and the entire bush* administration are abusing our military. :grouphug:

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

6. With no end in sight...

[Contrary1]

7. "It is always tragic when noncombatants are caught up in these raids..."

Looks like it's "always tragic" every day.

[AbsolutNickUSN]

8. Prejudice

Is this to imply all US servicemen in Iraq are murderers? That they intentionally target civilians? Is that not prejudice?

[me b zola]

10. Who do you think is implying that?

From the article it looks as though air support was called in and that is what caused the civilian deaths. A command decision, not an individual soldier decision.

I must say, though, that the decision to call in air support upon civilian housing units to "get" two insurgents would be considered to operate with extreme prejudice.




Welcome to DU, AbsolutNickUSN. DU is a great place and home to a large number of vets. :hi: