Shoe thrower shot by US troops dies

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Shoe thrower shot by US troops dies
The Common Ills

September 19, 2009

A man who lived through the "cleansing" of Fallujah by occupation forces. Two battles - not one.
He saw his city burn, his friends killed, his neighbours maimed.
His mind broke, and he became imbalanced.
He roamed the streets with long unkempt hair, disheveled clothes and a wild look in his eyes.
Whenever he saw an American military convoy pass, he would shake his fists in the air and raise his voice and swear at them. He would sometimes pick up a pebble and hurl it at them.

The above is from an Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy in "This Time a shoe thrower was shot" (Inside Iraq). This week the journalist who threw two shoes at Bush (and called him out for lying -- which we applaud in foreign countries but not in the US apparently) was released. On Wednesday Ahmed Abdul Latif was shot by US forces in Falluja after he threw a shoe at the US military. Nawaf Jabbar and Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) reported that Latif fell to the ground after being shot according to eye witness Ahmed Mukhlif who says that then "the four U.S. Humvees stopped and a man stepped out, his rifle pointing toward the wounded Iraqi, and a policeman intervened and prevented the American from firing again." Today an Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy reports that Ahmed Abdul Latif died in the hospital Thursay and quotes his brother stating, "Maybe now he is at peace."

Meanwhile in today's New York Times, Brian Knowlton reports on those in DC demonstrating in support of the residents at Camp Ashraf. Camp Ashraf is composed of the MEK, Iranian dissidents. July 28th they were attacked by Nouri al-Maliki. Eleven people were killed, thirty-six were hauled off. Knowlton quotes 26-year-old Iranian-American Hamid Goudarzi who is on a hunger strike, "I'm getting weaker every day. But I'm here to the end." Knowlton observes:

The protesters are calling for the resumption of American protection of the camp until a United Nations presence can be arranged and for the release of 36 members who have been detained since the clash at Camp Ashraf, which is home to about 3,400 people.

http://thecommonills.blogspot.com/2009/09/shoe-thrower-shot-by-us-troops-dies.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. The guy who threw his shoes at Bush?

Kind of a confusing piece.

[Heidi]

2. Not the same.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi was the guy who threw his shoes at Bush.

Abdul Latif was shot by US forces in Falluja after he threw a shoe at the US military, according to reports.

[Subdivisions]

3. Hi p2blk. I'm sure you'll remember that throwing one's shoe at another

in Iraqi culture is meant to show contempt for the target. So, it's probably a common thing for an Iraqi to throw his (and her?) shoes at occupying forces. Remember the shoe activity around the pulling down of Saddam's statue?

It is confusing at first though. At first I thought, oh, let the guy go only to shoot him dead in the street. Can you imagine if that happened to the guy who threw his shoes at bush?

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Okay. Thanks.

This is very confusing. Perhaps a different thread title would help. Like 'Man throws shoes at soldiers and gets shot'.

[OwnedByFerrets]

5. Well, they WERE in mortal danger.

It was probably an EXPLODING shoe.:sarcasm:
What we have done to this nation is a war crime. Anyone who doesn't see it is and idiot OR intentionally blind.

[proteus_lives]

14. This wasn't a crime.

The soldiers were defending themselves from a perceived threat.

[OwnedByFerrets]

15. I never said it was....however, ONE million innocent Iraqi's

didn't suicide themselves. WE FUCKING KILLED THEM. YES, WE KILLED THEM.

[proteus_lives]

20. Yep, innocents die in warzones.

That's why we need to withdrawal our forces from area.

[OwnedByFerrets]

23. That kind of rhetoric just fucking pisses me off to no end.

If YOUR family had been WIPED OUT because of an invading army, I doubt you would be so casual with your statement of fact.

[proteus_lives]

25. What good does your rhetoric do?

Shouting and caps-lock doesn't end the Iraq occupation any faster. Just because it's statement of fact doesn't mean it's casual. It's a very serious situation.

[OwnedByFerrets]

28. What do you think posting ANYTHING here does?

Not one thing. We are complete pawns for and to the Industrial Military Complex. Doesn't mean I can't post my mild displeasure at America's DESIRE to conquer the world.

[Mr Generic Other]

6. i was confused by the piece too.

as i read the article and began to believe that the author was referring to the shoe thrower who targeted bush, i became livid.
that man is a hero to people around the globe and to many americans as well. the thought of some pimply-faced kid killing a man with such stature makes me ill.
while i admit to feeling some measure of relief as i figured out the victim was another shoe thrower i am still upset at the notion that killing shoe throwers is what our troops are doing in iraq.
if there were an occupation army in our streets, i would be jeering them and throwing shoes too. this is what decent people do when their homes are invaded.
this is the result of our illegal invasion.
we invade iraq to free iraqis from tyranny and to guarantee them the benefits of democracy (the constitution we wrote for them guarantees them both freedom of speech and universal, single-payer health care coverage) and then we kill those who exercise those rights.
every american should be mourning the path that our country has taken.
this was supposed to end when we got rid of bush and his minions. how is it that nothing has changed?

[lapfog_1]

7. written to conflate the two incidents and people

however, it's sad that this guy was shot. It doesn't sound as if he posed a danger to anyone.

[TxRider]

8. Not wise to throw things at guys with guns pointed at you

I read the guy wasn't quite mentally stable.

The the soldier thought he was throwing a grenade or IED of some sort.

Hopefully we'll be out of there soon.

[Mr Generic Other]

9. very sad

[armyowalgreens]

10. It's the consequence of throwing an object at a alert person with an M4A1...

I do not hold anything against the man for throwing a shoe at US troops. But does it come at any surprise that he was shot?

These troops spend a lot of time on edge waiting for the worst possible scenario to happen right in front of them. It doesn't take much to get them to react.

[chill_wind]

11. What gets lost most of all amidst all this

are the utterly sickening atrocities themselves of the Fallujah occupations. How could anyone (from either side) emerge from there sane?

[bertman]

12. They thought he was the Arab Maxwell Smart.

[proteus_lives]

13. That's what happens when you make a threatening gesture to an armed soldier...

In a hostile area.

Soldiers will respond to a hostile gesture with deadly force. They have to defend themselves. Tragic but understandable.

[blindpig]

18. But what are they doing in that man's country in the 1st place?

That's the problem.

[proteus_lives]

22. Ask Obama.

It's his war now.

[blindpig]

16. k&r n/t

[NNN0LHI]

17. MEK, Iranian dissidents? Say what? MEK is on the US terror list

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/mek.htm

[daedalus_dude]

19. I have no sympathy left for anyone who hasn't gone AWOL yet.

[proteus_lives]

21. Well, that's a stupid statement.

And fuel for the GOP. Don't cast blame on soldiers, put it were it belongs on governmental leadership.

[OwnedByFerrets]

24. Amen! and TY

[proteus_lives]

26. More fuel for the GOP and right-wingers.

:eyes:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. Another Glorious Victory in our war on Terra'! We're safe from shoe throwers!!