Gates Expresses Horror, Regret Over Base Slayings

American Forces Press Service ^ | John J. Kruzel

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the Defense Department will devote its “highest-priority attention” to the slaying today of five U.S. servicemembers in Baghdad.

“I would like to express my horror and deep regret over today's shooting incident at Camp Liberty in Iraq,” Gates said at a Pentagon news briefing. “I offer my sympathy and condolences to the families of those who were killed.”

As details about the incident continue to emerge, the U.S. military is holding in custody an American soldier suspected of involvement in the shooting deaths that occurred around 2 p.m. local time at the U.S. military base Camp Liberty in the Iraqi capital.

“We are still in the process of gathering information on exactly what happened, but if the preliminary reports are confirmed, such a tragic loss of life at the hands of our own forces is a cause for great and urgent concern, and I can assure you that it will get this department's highest-priority attention,” Gates said.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said the incident underscores the need for the U.S. to ramp up efforts to relieve stress related to combat.

“It does speak to me about the need for us to redouble our efforts … in terms of dealing with the stress, dealing with the whole issue of those kinds of things. And it also speaks to the issue of multiple deployments, increasing dwell time, all those things that we're focused on to try to…relieve that stress.”

Gates and Mullen joined a chorus of defense officials that reacted to the incident with horror and regret, offering condolences to the victims and their families.

“Any time we lose one of our own, it affects us all,” said Army Col. John Robinson, Multinational Corps Iraq spokesman. “Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all the servicemembers involved in this terrible tragedy.”

The names of the deceased are being withheld pending next-of-kin notification and release by the Defense Department.

Biographies:
Robert M. Gates
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen

Related Sites:
Transcript: Gates' Remarks

[SandRat]

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[knarf]

This is the first I've heard of this, SR ... WTF??

I REALLY expect another muzzie here ... and a bolt should accidently slide forward IMO.

And my word for this time in history ... wait for it ....

EMBOLDENMENT.

[river rat]

Waiting with bated breath to learn more about the perp and the circumstances that led up to the shootings..

[Carley]

Isn’t it time for Gates to go?

[MozartLover]

My heart aches for the families........prayers going up for them........

[Aquinasfan]

Just listening to Fox, and a guest said that there are fewer incidents like this in the army, percentage-wise, than there are in high schools and colleges. That puts this tragic event into context, and it also tells us something about the supposedly intrinsic dangerousness of guns.

[GOP Poet]

yes. prayers up to the families.

[LibLieSlayer]

This is a horrible event... and I know this is in poor taste... but has the brady campaign called for disarming our Military yet?

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

My point is how offensive and insensitive the brady people are... May GOD heal the hearts of those that mourn... I know that I mourn our heroes and pray for them and their friends and family.

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

I agree... just like the grenade tosser in Kuwait before the invasion and liberation.

LLS

[Tucker39]

Why no photo or name of the perp?

Is he a stealth raghead?

[knarf]

I’m going to guess (sorry I’m so racist), he’s black and a recent convert ... or one of those “accepted” in the military because we HAVE to.

[dusttoyou]

Racism has nothing to do with this. I agree with your assumption, mainly because they have thus far hidden the shooter’s identity. If it was some white guy, both his photo and names would have been displayed with glee.

[don-o]

Dude.

[knarf]

I'm tired, inconsiderate and no f***in' murderer is going to politically correctify me.

Good guys are slammed and bad guys get cover?

F*** it!

[TomasUSMC]

Over the last ELEVEN months, we have lost more than half of our killed to non-hostile actions.

89 hostile action KIA

93 non-hostile KIA !!!

http://icasualties.org/Iraq/

I’m thinking we aren’t doing anything up there except wasting money and lives now ....for what? To prop up another Shiite controlled government that mandates ....No Law shall Contradict Islam.?.......We’ve done enough. Now with a closet gay moslem president, time to get our troops out of harms way. Lord knows he doesn’t have the cojones to attack Iran.

[an amused spectator]

This is a horrible event... and I know this is in poor taste... but has the brady campaign called for disarming our Military yet?

Naaah - Present Obama is gonna need the military to murder his political opponents.

OTOH, they COULD be issued machetes for that, and the guns confiscated...