US admits troops shot Iraqi mayor

[DarkPhenyx]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3260469.stm

The US military has confirmed that one of its soldiers shot dead the mayor of a highly volatile Baghdad district.

Mohannad Gazi al-Kaabi, who was appointed by the US authorities to run the largely Shia Muslim area of Sadr City in Baghdad, died on Sunday.

He was shot during an altercation with US troops at the local council's compound.

US Central Command says it is still investigating the incident in the area where US-Iraqi tensions are high.

[La_Serpiente]

1. OK people

we shot a mayor and killed a family that was delivering a bunch of chickens in the back of their truck. What the HELL is going on over there?

[DarkPhenyx]

2. It's a "Liberation".

Didn't you get the memo?

[Mari333]

3. Teenagers with guns

kids with guns who signed up for one weekend a year. Have no clue as to what is going on or why and are scared to death...dont even know who or what they are fighting..

[IndianaGreen]

6. I'll say we have a major lack of command and control

I'm not in Iraq with the troops so I cannot say, I can only speculate that neither the officers nor the NCOs have a clue as to how to conduct operations in a civilian environment and they are reacting as gunmen of the old West.

I suggest our military leaders do some reading on the Yamashita trial at the end of WWII, here is but one URL on this topic:

http://www.waikato.ac.nz/wfass/subjects/history/waimilhist/1998/yamashita.html

[lumpy]

10. I certainly feel this is the case.

The troops are free to literally call the shots because the command is not on the job and most likely incompetent.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Perhaps it is because their commanders are in the AC trailer

while the grunts have to sleep in the sweltering heat.

[lumpy]

13. And the 'big boys' hang out in DC.

nt

[ninkasi]

14. IG, I think the troops are following Bush's example.

Bush struts and swaggers, and talks like a thug; I blame him for setting an example of shoot first, don't dare ask a question later. If one of the duties of a president is to lead, the ones following him are being led off a cliff, onto the rocks below.

[Aidoneus]

4. this is what Sadr gets for his reconciliation efforts?

these fools seem bent on pissing everybody off.

[tom_paine]

5. Winning hearts and minds

They are being LIBERATED. And if they don't like their newfound freedom to funnel cash to Kind George and Heartless Dick and all their friends...

...why then we'll drop a 500 lb. boms= or just shoot your ass

If your lucky we'll juts hodd ya', bind yer hands and throw you behind chicken wire for awhile to contemplate your newfound freedom...

[teryang]

7. Where are all the AEI talking heads?

"We need to get our message out."

"Why are we so ineffective in conveying the American message overseas?"

[DarkPhenyx]

8. Can you imagine what would happen in the US...

...if we had shot Gulianni during the course of the terrorist attacks? Or they shot the Mayor of a small town here in North Carolina during the hurricane cleanup? The outcry would have been unbelievable. This will probably pass with very little attention.

[truthspeaker]

9. our military has not been trained for peacekeeping

I don't know how the neocons expected to keep the peace in post-invasion Iraq when they have spent the last 12 years deriding peacekeeping missions. Combat-trained troops hopped up on mandatory speed do not make a good police force.

[prolesunited]

12. Something strange here

From the article: Another soldier fired warning shots and finally shot the mayor in the upper leg. He bled to death.

I know there is a major artery in the leg, but why would he have bled to death? If he had received immediate medical attention, why would he have died?

Will the soldier face charges? I know they get gut some slack if there is unknown threat and perceived danger, but can they just shoot our unarmed allies if they make a fuss?

[E_Zapata]

15. And to think a lot of these soldiers are National Guard Reserves

Think about it.....our national guards are obviously so battle fatigued and freaked out that they shoot at anything that moves.

and the national guards will come on back to the US (if they aren't killed first)......to protect and serve our communities. Can ya see them assisting with security at a huge ass protest in say, San Francisco?

Not to sound selfish or anything......but we have ruined the lives of these kids.....

They shoot at anything approach seems natural. It's got to be instinctual. Our soldiers are MARKED MEN.....every last one of them. After a good time of being shot at and targetted, you just must have to start shooting first, asking Qs later.....

[IndianaGreen]

16. I think the Guardsmen with law enforcement experience

are best suited for what is going on in Iraq, while the troops that were trained for war and not peacekeeping are the ones that are trigger happy.