U.S. troops kill pregnant woman in Iraq

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/31/06 | Kim Gamel - ap

[NormsRevenge]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces killed two Iraqi women — one of them about to give birth — when the troops shot at a car that failed to stop at an observation post in a city north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials and relatives said Wednesday.

Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, 35, was being raced to the maternity hospital in Samarra by her brother when the shooting occurred Tuesday.

Jassim, the mother of two children, and her 57-year-old cousin, Saliha Mohammed Hassan, were killed by the U.S. forces, according to police Capt. Laith Mohammed and witnesses.

The U.S. military said coalition troops fired at a car after it entered a clearly marked prohibited area near an observation post but failed to stop despite repeated visual and auditory warnings.

"Shots were fired to disable the vehicle," the military said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. "Coalition forces later received reports from Iraqi police that two women had died from gunshot wounds ... and one of the females may have been pregnant."

Jassim's brother, who was wounded by broken glass, said he did not see any warnings as he sped his sister to the hospital. Her husband was waiting for her there.

"I was driving my car at full speed because I did not see any sign or warning from the Americans. It was not until they shot the two bullets that killed my sister and cousin that I stopped," he said. "God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here. They have no regard for our lives."

He said doctors tried but failed to save the baby after his sister was brought to the hospital.

The shooting deaths occurred in the wake of an investigation into allegations that U.S. Marines killed unarmed civilians in the western city of Haditha.

The U.S. military said the incident in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, was being investigated. The city is in the heart of the so-called Sunni Triangle and has in the past seen heavy insurgent activity.

"The loss of life is regrettable and coalition forces go to great lengths to prevent them," the military said.

The women's bodies were wrapped in sheets and lying on stretchers outside the Samarra General Hospital before being taken to the morgue, while residents pointed to bullet holes on the windshield of a car and a pool of blood on the seat.

Khalid Nisaif Jassim, the pregnant woman's brother, said American forces had blocked off the side road only two weeks ago and news about the observation post had been slow to filter out to rural areas.

He said the killings, like those in Haditha, were examples of random killings faced by Iraqis every day.

The killings at Haditha, a city that has been plagued by insurgents, came after a bomb rocked a military convoy on Nov. 19, killing a Marine. Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record), D-Pa., a decorated war veteran who has been briefed by military officials, has said Marines shot and killed unarmed civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot others.

Military investigators have evidence that points toward unprovoked murders by Marines, a senior defense official said last week.

In his first public comments on the incident, President Bush said he was troubled by the allegations, and that, "If in fact laws were broken, there will be punishment."

Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi told the BBC that the allegations have "created a feeling of great shock and sadness and I believe that if what is alleged is true — and I have no reason to believe it's not — then I think something very drastic has to be done."

"There must be a level of discipline imposed on the American troops and change of mentality which seems to think that Iraqi lives are expendable," said Pachachi, a member of parliament.

If confirmed as unjustified killings, the episode could be the most serious case of criminal misconduct by U.S. troops during three years of combat in Iraq. Until now the most infamous occurrence was the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse involving Army soldiers, which came to light in April 2004 and which Bush said he considered to be the worst U.S. mistake of the entire war.

Once the military investigation is completed, perhaps in June, it will be up to a senior Marine commander in Iraq to decide whether to press charges of murder or other violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The incident has sparked two investigations — one into the deadly encounter itself and another into whether it was the subject of a cover-up. The Marine Corps had initially attributed 15 civilian deaths to the car bombing and a firefight with insurgents, eight of whom the Marines reported had been killed.

"People in Samarra are very angry with the Americans not only because of Haditha case but because the Americans kill people randomly specially recently," Khalid Nisaif Jassim said.

[conservativehusker]

As predicted just this morning it has started....

[NormsRevenge]

Mother-in-law Rabia Mohammed Hussein grieves the loss of Nabiya Nassayef, 35, who was pregnant and her cousin Saliha Mohammed Hassan, who were both killed as they were driving to a maternity hospital in Samarra, Iraq Tuesday, May 30, 2006. When asked if they knew about the incident, the U.S. military had no immediate comment. The two Iraqi women were shot to death after U.S. forces fired at a car that failed to stop at an observation post in Samarra, north of Baghdad, the military said.(AP Photo/Hameed Rasheed)

[Caveman Lawyer]

Terrible accident. Devoting half the article to the alleged massacre in Haditha is needless and oh-so-predictable.

[NormsRevenge]

A young boy riding a bicycle looks across at a newly-erected warning sign put up Wednesday, May 31, 2006 on a road around 100 metres from the maternity hospital which Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, 35, a pregnant woman and her 57-year-old cousin Saliha Mohammed Hassan, were driving to for Jassim to give birth when they were killed in Samarra, Iraq Tuesday, May 30, 2006. U.S. forces apparently shot to death two Iraqi women, one of them pregnant, when they fired at a vehicle that failed to stop at an observation post in the town, Iraqi officials and relatives said. (AP Photo/Hameed Rasheed)

[AppyPappy]

God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here. They have no regard for our lives."

I guess the IED's are lost on this idiot. His own people are blowing up the Iraqi people wholesale. Perhaps if old pusspot had shot Saddam himself, we wouldn't be there. But he didn't have the guts for that.

[Indy Pendance]

"People in America are very angry with the Muslims not only because of 9-11 case but because the Muslims kill people randomly specially the past 20 years or so,".....

Better

[Non-Sequitur]

Terrible accident.

True. But try convincing the Iraqi population of that.

[edpc]

Americans kill people randomly [e]specially recently," Khalid Nisaif Jassim said.

Tragic things happen when you run through a series of words ending in "ly" and checkpoints.

[GraniteStateConservative]

War's hell. If they want us to leave, they should start providing their own security-- and do a good job of it. There are plenty of people who know things but they stay silent and our troops get blown up. Their lives are as valuable as these dead Iraqis' lives.

[windcliff]

We'll attack a wedding party before the weekend.

[freekitty]

Where is the father?

[Thrusher]

Americans are so evil. I mean, the peace-loving Iraqi "insurgents" never accidently kill pregnant women, or even children or cute little puppies, like our evil Marines do.

The "insurgents" do it on purpose!

[JFC]

and on 9-11, we lost thousands of innocent people going to work.

[in hoc signo vinces]

What a PR nightmare. I feel for our Armed Forces.


There's a War on, and the only people that realize this is the military and a majority of the citizenry that is given little voice by our, oh so, "factual" media.

[Names Ash Housewares]

"I was driving my car at full speed because I did not see any sign or warning from the Americans. It was not until they shot the two bullets that killed my sister and cousin that I stopped," he said. "God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here. They have no regard for our lives."


I didnt see (READ IGNORED) the warnings, it's the Americans fault?

NO DOPE> IT'S YOUR FAULT!

Im sorry but this guy is to blame and the terorrists for creating the environment to begin with for his familys trajedy. AND the trajedy of our troops to have to deal with this.

[wideawake]

Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, 35, was being raced to the maternity hospital in Samarra by her brother when the shooting occurred Tuesday.

That's funny - I managed to drive my wife to the maternity ward twice while obeying all the traffic laws.

Everyone in that car knew what happens in Iraq, especially in Samarra, when you blow through a checkpoint.

Whoever was behind the wheel is the person who killed her, not a serviceman.

[SevenMinusOne]

Unbelievable headline - The reality is this is a war zone (Iraqi's know this...and certainly know by now the dangers of running check points) -

This is a terrible situation brought on 100% by the driver of this vehicle. End of discussion.

The MSM are pathetic in how they go about putting a negative anti-American, anti-U.S. military headline on every story then can.

[in hoc signo vinces]

funny how CNN neglects that figure every time they do the dead roll call at the end of their articles or segments on the WOT/Iraq/Afgahnistan.


I wonder why they leave that information out? /sarcasm.

[JFC]

Just like me new tagline states..........

Got it from the Col talking on Rush's show right now.

WOW WOW WOW, he is staying let us do our jobs or send us home. Sounds like they are being held back!