Posted on 07/13/2006 6:41:16 AM PDT by weegee
Slain soldier's brother skeptical of group's claim
He doubts that Menchaca, a 2nd soldier could have been linked to rape suspects
HARLINGEN - The brother of slain Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca said Tuesday that he is skeptical of an al-Qaida-linked group's claim that it killed Menchaca and another U.S. soldier more than three months after troops from their unit allegedly raped and killed a young Iraqi woman.
Julio Cesar Vasquez, the older brother of Menchaca, said he does not think the suspected al-Qaida insurgents could have linked the two slain soldiers to the rape suspects.
''It could be, but how do they know they were from my brother's unit?" said Vasquez, 25, of Houston. ''How do they know which unit is which?"
The Mujahedeen Shura Council previously claimed responsibility for killing the two soldiers, who were seized in a June 16 attack near the town of Youssifiyah, southwest of Baghdad. A third soldier was killed in the attack.
On Tuesday, the group posted a Web video purporting to show the mutilated bodies of the two soldiers, claiming it killed them in revenge for the rape-slaying of Abeer Qassim Hamza on March 12 in the Youssifayah area.
The rape victim's parents and a younger sister were also killed in the assault in the family home, and Monday the U.S. military identified the five members of Menchaca's unit who have been charged.
Grisly videotape
A statement by the Mujahedeen Shura Council said the video was released as "revenge for our sister who was dishonored by a soldier of the same brigade."
The four-minute, 39-second video shows two bloodied bodies in torn military uniforms lying near a curb on a bridge over a canal. One of them, partially naked, has been decapitated and his chest cut open. The other's face is bruised, the jaw apparently broken, and his leg has long gashes. Fighters are shown turning the bodies over and lifting the head of the decapitated man.
Vasquez, who is staying at his mother's home in Brownsville, said he has not seen the videotape and his mother is not planning to watch it.
''She's like, 'I don't want to know anything about it or see it on TV.' She doesn't want to watch it, or anything," Vasquez said.
'Triangle of Death'
Vasquez said he thinks Iraqi insurgents attacked his brother and two other soldiers because they were left by themselves in a hot spot known as the ''Triangle of Death."
''I think it would have happened anyway with them being in that area, and being left alone," said Vasquez. ''There were just three of them, and it was a good opportunity for the insurgents to attack them."
Vasquez said his brother, who came home on leave in May, did not mention anything about the attack on the Iraqi girl. ''He really didn't talk about what was going on over there," Vasquez said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Consider also how Zarqawi "claimed" that Nick Berg's murder was revenge for the Abu Ghraib abuse. For the record, Nick Berg and other Americans had been kidnapped long before that story got heavy election era exposure in the US media.
The investigation had already been revealed to a number of Democrat senators by Ramsey Clark and the attorney of one of the suspects. It wasn't until the media was also provided photos and video through that same source that they used it to turn the public against the war and the administration. Unless Ramsey Clark or one of the senators tipped off Al Qaida, they were unaware of the of the investigation.
But Nick Berg was already kidnapped, so his capture was NOT revenge for Abu Ghraib.
The US press loves these "it's our fault" kind of stories. The family is right to doubt the claims of publicity (and sympathy seeking) terrorists.
Besides, the original statement the group released said NOTHING about the rape-murder allegations (still unproven).
“First, the capture of the two soldiers was according to a solid pre-arranged plan and was not an accident.
“Second, they were captured by a large [Resistance] group that is extensively active in Iraq and whose name is not being mentioned at this time. But those who follow the activities of the Mujahideen in the al-Yusufiyah area will know that there are three large groups operating in that region and it is one of them.
“Third, secret negotiations are now underway. The Mujahideen have set a high ceiling in their demands at the beginning of the discussions, among the most important of their demands being:
The release of all female Iraqi prisoners in the prisons of the Crusaders, the [puppet Iraqi Ministry of the] Interior, and the [puppet Iraqi Ministry of [Defense].
The release of all religious scholars, shaykhs, and Imams of mosques in the prisons of the occupation and its supporters.
The hand over of the body of Abu Mus‘ab az-Zarqawi to his relatives with pressure being put on Jordan to accept that, and the proposal of alternative cities if Jordan refuses, among them Tarabulus in Lebanon.
The ceiling of demands might be raised to obtain the release of other persons.
“Fourth, if the Americans refuse to respond to the demands then the two soldiers will be displayed on the media, the demands will be declared, and a deadline will be given. Then they will be executed after America declares falsely that it does not negotiate with ‘terrorists’.
“Fifth, if agreement is reached and the demands are carried out they will be carried out in an apparently unilateral way in which it appears that no pressure is being applied to the United States, then America will declare that they have found the two soldiers, that they were hiding or escaped from their abductors.
“Sixth, the American high command in Iraq is directly aware of the details of the negotiations.
“Seventh, The American command wants guarantees that the soldiers will not be used in the media or killed after the demands have been carried out, while the Mujahideen want guarantees that the [Iraqi] prisoners who are released will not be rearrested, for this will cause the negotiations to fail.
“Eighth, the ball is now in the court of the American military command. It may accept or reject, or perhaps begin implementing the demands within a certain number of hours or days or the Mujahideen will begin carrying out the media side of their plan if agreement fails to be reached.
“Note: it has been confirmed that the publication of this information on a website will not negatively influence the negotiations and the Mujahideen brothers. It is only being published so that the Believers might rejoice and reassure their hearts at the victory God has given them.
“Your brother: Abu Hashim al-Khalidi.”
I picked up this message before there was any news about the rape/murder. As there is no discussion of the rape/murder, it was obviously not a driver in the abduction of our soldiers. Also, the local resistance group was aware of the rape/murder but thought it was probably done by Shiites. In any case, the local insurgent groups saw more benefit in claiming the rape/murder was done by Shiites to further their desire for a wider civil war. Our soldiers were butchered when the net tightened in the area and the insurgents knew they couldn't get them out of the area to a secure location to be used for propaganda and bargaining chips.
Fox and the media have it wrong.
Mahmoudiya pinglist--if you want on, or off, let me know via freepmail!
While I don't know which media first made this "connection" - they pulled it out of thin air - perhaps speculating as they are apt to do - and the rest of the hounds took that and ran with it as a gift to the terrorist group who did this horrific crime.
This is now the standard line with the communist, MSM. It is just more of what becomes 'accepted truth'... as the daily, propaganda mill continues to censure, lie and distort reality.
The brother isn't the only skeptical one.
"A lie told often enough becomes the truth."
-Lenin, Russian Communist politician & revolutionary (1870 - 1924)
Hmmmmmmm, a relative perhaps?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.