Posted on 05/19/2004 10:16:18 AM PDT by Eurotwit
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. helicopter fired on a wedding party before dawn Wednesday in western Iraq (news - web sites), killing more than 40 people, Iraqi officials said. The U.S. military said it could not confirm the report and was investigating.
Lt. Col Ziyad al-Jbouri, deputy police chief of Ramadi, said between 42 and 45 people were killed in the attack, which took place about 2:45 a.m. in a remote desert area near the border with Syria and Jordan. He said the dead included 15 children and 10 women.
Dr. Salah al-Ani, who works at a hospital in Ramadi, put the death toll at 45.
Associated Press Television News obtained videotape showing a truck containing bodies of people who were allegedly killed in the incident. Most of the bodies were wrapped in blankets and other cloths, but the footage showed at least eight uncovered, bloody bodies, several of them children. One of the children was headless.
I find this hard to believe. Not even Iraqi children stay up until 2:45 in the morning.
It is much more likely that the terrorists were using their wives and children as human shields to shoot at our troops.
When the US condemns Israel for firing from the air in the vicinity of civilians, then does the same thing with unfortunate results, duplicity aside, they are handing a potential political issue to the dems. If we condemn the practice, why are we doing it? The State Dept would do better to keep its mouth shut.
Was it really a wedding or is this another "Baby Milk Factory" story where the terrorists were using the women and children as human shields?
3000 of us died in one morning.
Any dumb Shiite who fires automatic weapons into the air in Iraq deserves return fire. I just hope that we don't get to "griefstricken" by the "innocent bystanders" who also went on to claim their 72 virgins -- or be one of the virgins claimed by the jamokes practicing the Religion of Peace®. The reason I hope we don't get too upset about it is because bringing al Sadir to justice may require us to declare -- under the Geneva Conventions -- that a mosque being used for military purposes loses its protected status and then blow the place away sending the Sadirites (as opposed to the Saddamites as opposed to the Sodomites) to claim their 72 virgins.
My bet though is that all the other sources are reporting this based on this AP report.
Similar to yesterdays AFP story about the four arrests in the Nick Berg case.
Yeah, ever see one? And are all muslim five, four, three, two, one year olds FERAL? Line up the kids by size order, big bad johnB will pull the trigger.
Sorry you don't recognize sarcasm without having to have it pointed out to you.
Why do YOU think they chose to mention that a child was beheaded in this incident? I don't recall that level of detail being reported in other similar news reports.
And as long as I am posting, what parents would allow their children to stay up til 2:30am?
Who knows. As I recall when we bombed the wedding in Afghanistan the reports were 600 dead, later "revised" to 50 or 60. Still a tragedy.
Of course we're fighting against the same tactics used against Israel. Would a terrorist fire from the midst of a wedding in hopes of attracting return fire. You bet, but only if there were no schools available.
And I'll help him.
Sickening, all the way around.
That and the statement from our military that We have not received any reports from our units that this has happened nor that any were involved in such a tragedy but are investigating is all it would take.
A story based on a video tape ???
Until more facts are reported - Insurgent blows himself and others up real good. Goldbug blames Bush.
And I'll help him.
Since we're talking about killing babies wtf is wrong inside your head that would compel you to volunteer? Don't bother to reply, nothing you have to say after this could be worth hearing.
US pilots do not have free fire authority. I'm sure that the wedding party was firing automatic weapons into the air, probably in the vacinity of US aircraft, which triggered approval for returning fire.
babies that are the future enemies we'll be fighting in this war.
Who cares.
Unless they got video of the Heilo firing the shot this is bunk.
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