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| Iraq |
| U.S. Forces Shoot Seven Women, Children |
| 2003-03-31 |
| U.S. troops shot and killed at least seven Iraqi civilians — some of them children — in a vehicle at checkpoint Monday in southern Iraq when the driver did not stop as ordered, U.S. Central Command said. The soldiers involved were from the 3rd Infantry Division, the same unit that lost four soldiers Saturday at another checkpoint when an Iraqi soldier dressed as a civilian detonated a car bomb. On Monday, the vehicle approached the U.S. Army checkpoint at about 4:30 p.m. Soldiers motioned for the driver to stop but were ignored, the Central Command said. They fired warning shots, which also were ignored, the U.S. military said. Troops then shot into the vehicle's engine, but the driver continued toward the checkpoint. As a last resort, the military statement said, soldiers fired into the passenger compartment. That sounds like exactly what they're supposed to do... The statement said a total of 13 women and children were in the van. But The Washington Post, whose reporter is embedded with the 3rd Infantry, said 15 passengers were in the van and 10 were killed, five of them children who appeared to be younger than age 5. One of the wounded was a man not expected to live, the Post reported on its Web site. The newspaper described the vehicle as a four-wheel-drive Toyota crammed with the Iraqis' personal belongings. Could have been dynamite... Central Command said initial reports indicated the soldiers followed the rules of engagement to protect themselves. "In light of recent terrorist attacks by the Iraqi regime, the soldiers exercised considerable restraint to avoid the unnecessary loss of life," the statement said. I agree, even though they'll all probably spend the rest of their lives agonizing over the incident. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #6 I'm with Tom. This is the fault of the Driver, AND of Arnett for suggesting this. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-04-01 07:16:58 |
| #5 ... a logical result of Arnett saying that dead civilians helps the 'anti-war' types. Screw nailing him with treason, hit him with war crimes. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-04-01 00:44:20 |
| #4 This had nothing to do with any choices made by our soldiers. This was intended to happen. This was the result of Saddam's death squads loading those women and children into that van knowing exactly what had to be done to make US troops open fire on them. This was planned for propaganda purposes. This was deliberate on the part of the driver. |
| Posted by: Tom Schaller 2003-04-01 00:00:09 |
| #3 Patrick, I'm not happy with the pricetag either. I hope nobody is. But I was even less happy with the price 4 dead Anericans paid yesterday in a similar situation. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-03-31 21:38:13 |
| #2 This is truly sad. Its the payoff Saddam was looking for. Any info as to why they didnt stop? People firing automatic rifles in my direction is usually a pretty good indication that Im doing something I should be a bit more observant about. Then again, deliberately driving thru a red light at a busy intersection has produced similar casualties. My first question would be: Was there a gun to the driver's head? As for the dead - it plain sucks, we are supposed to be liberating them, not freeing them fromthis mortal coil. Of the survivors, its the troops I feel for. They are going to never forget that they killed a kid, no matter how correct their actions were given the circumstances. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-03-31 21:29:56 |
| #1 This sucks. I suppose the "don't do anything to alarm the Americans" message will eventually get through to the Iraqis. But I'm not comfortable with the pricetag. |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2003-03-31 20:34:21 |