#7 More details, facts are lacking:
Conflicting details are emerging as Foreign Affairs investigates whether a Canadian in Iraq was killed by American forces. Despite a statement from Foreign Affairs saying that an unidentified Canadian died Saturday, the U.S. Defence Department had a conflicting report.
Capt. Patricia Brewer told the Toronto Star's Washington bureau that "no civilians" were shot by American forces in Iraq on Saturday. "There does not appear to be any U.S. involvement in this individual's death." She said the U.S. military had no information on the reported death. "There needs to be more research done on this at this point," she said. "The dates may need to be clarified or where in the country this happened because right now there are a lot of holes in the information we have been given."
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Cloe Rodrigue said the unidentified Canadian died Saturday. Rodrigue added that the department is investigating the incident through its consular offices in Amman, Jordan. She would not confirm the circumstances. The Canadian Press reports that, according to a senior government source, there are reports that the U.S. military may have been involved.
The source said a man named Ali Alwan may have died after U.S. forces "tracked" a target using a helicopter gunship. "The family wants the government to investigate," the source told The Canadian Press. "They believe it was an attack by coalition forces."
The Star reported Wednesday that a Dr. Ali Alwan was listed as the director of Basra's Port Hospital in 2003 by the United Nations.
A Liberal MP responsible for Canadians abroad said the government is still investigating at this stage. "There are a number of conflicting reports as to how the individual was killed," said Dan McTeague, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "At this stage, we don't have details as to how he was killed. We are looking at all aspects of this case to arrive at some conclusion. ... We only have anecdotal information," he told The Canadian Press. |