Posted on 11/15/2004 3:56:58 PM PST by Kaslin
LONDON (Reuters) - A television pool report by U.S. network NBC said on Monday that a U.S. Marine had shot dead an unarmed and wounded Iraqi prisoner in a mosque in Falluja.
The Iraqi was one of five wounded prisoners left in the mosque after Marines had fought their way in on Friday and Saturday. There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon (news - web sites) on the report.
U.S. forces launched an offensive one week ago on Falluja, and have gained overall control of the formerly rebel-held city, although scattered resistance remains.
The pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it and an adjacent building, killing 10 militants and wounding the five.
Sites said the wounded had been left in the mosque for others to pick up and move to the rear for treatment. No reason was given why that had not happened.
A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be already close to death, Sites said.
He said one Marine noticed one of the prisoners was still breathing.
A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's fucking faking he's dead. He faking he's fucking dead."
"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head. The pictures are too graphic for us to broadcast," Sites said. No images of the shooting were shown in the footage provided to Reuters.
The report said the Marine, who had returned to duty after being shot in the face a day earlier, had been removed from the field and was being questioned by the U.S. military.
Sites said the shot prisoner "did not appear to be armed or threatening in any way."
"The legalities should be easy. The witnesses will just testify that the person was, indeed, dead. No harm, no foul."
That would be my story and I would stick to it.
I am so angry at some freepers who are being duped. At least my NYC priest understand that what is at stake here separation of Terrorist & NUKE and ....
NYC!
Sounds like he learned his lesson the day before and wasn't about to chance a repeat. No tears shed here.
I just heard the NBC radio clip about this story while listening to Savage in NYC...
NBC gleefully reported this claim as an atrocity. An open and shut case. What country produces propaganda against itself like this?
The MSM is sick.
After watching the video, it looks like the guy leaning up against the wall moved his arm and had his hand under something. A really dumb thing to do with a bunch of Marines pointing guns at you. The reporter says there "appeared" to be no weapons. The BBc commentator says that it was wrong to leave enemy wounded behind too. An this could "undermine" the whole war in Iraq. Barf!
My uncle knew Ernie Pyle during WWII. He said that Ernie never put down our troops but reported the facts. I also believe that Ernie was wounded. I can imagine what the MSM would say if one of their embeds was wounded.
And how many GI's did this POS terrorist kill? Give the American a freakin medal he did his job. Semper Fi!
That is easy for you to say from the comfort of your living room. I would go into battle with that Marine any day, but you sir scare me.
These evil animals are playing dead and then pulling the pin on a grenade, or pulling a gun at the last minute. I would have shot them too if they were pulling those types of stunts. What? You let them kill you!!? It's unbelievable that were even talking about it. Just gotta play nice nice with the terrorists.
God bless this man for putting his a** on the line for all of us and trying to protect his life and the life of the troops with him.
Heres the problem: If the Iraqi was playing dead, he was still resisting. He should have raised his hands in a motion of surrender.
If the marine seen movement and couldn't tell if the Iraqi was injured or not nor armed, he may or may not have been justified. By the fact he said what he did about him "Playing Dead" could mean he thought the Iraqi was playing dead and presented a threat. The Iraqi may have had a grenade which could have killed them all.
I'd say it is a call for the USMC to investigate to see just what happened.
Along with my thanks to your Father and two brothers for their service, I would concur that the reporter is the one who sets back any cause and as you say "(the Marine)may cost the lives of future soldiers and citizens captured by these animals". I haven't seen the animals show any mercy yet to those captured, have you? Do you believe they would in the future if this had not happened? I am in no position to say whether the Marine made a mistake or not, but the reporter could have remembered "Loose lips sink ships" kinda thing and waited it out to see how the military would handle it.
you would think that at least freepers would know better. shamefull.
Yup ... trying doing that with a policeman's revolver trained on you and you're likely to wind up like the terrorist. Boo hoo.
All I have to say is that "back in the day" if the Marine was really disciplined over this that embedded reporter just might be considerably more susceptable to a friendly fire or accidental discharge incident.
bttt
It's like mourning for Ted Bundy ... this terrorists was a murderous, Satan-possesed piece of crap. The world gets a little better with his death.
Actually, watch the end of the video again. One of the terrorists was playing possum until our guy shot the other one. He was right at the Marine's feet, too, and could have easily killed our guy.
There was no "war crime" or anything else. Experience told our USMC to be wary of terrorists playing possum.
Do you feel better?
I hope so.
Well, he wasn't really a wounded 'soldier'; he wore no uniform and was for all appearences a terrorist combatant. Also, he was not in the act of surrendering, and as our guys have found out the hard way these terrorists will sometimes feign being dead, only to set off a bomb or shoot our guys before being killed. This is a very different type of war in many regards than any other war I can think of. We are facing bloodthirsy, merciless barbarians who relish cutting off people's heads and limbs, regardless of whether they are men, women, or civilians working for aid agencies. Fighting this type of cold-blooded barbaric enemy would bring out the worst in even the best of us.
Check out #273 and #153 they say it all, and yes you are absolutely right.
Does anyone remember Senator Bob Kerrey, recently of 9/11 commission fame, former Seal, who said he slit the throat of a non-combatant, an unarmed old man, to keep him from giving the alarm...
I don't suppose he thought to bring duct-tape...
He was decorated and elected to the Senate.
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