Marines in Fallujah confiscate toy guns

[sabra]

http://www.marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2336643.php

Marines in Fallujah confiscate toy guns

The insurgency in Iraq is arming children in Fallujah with fake plastic firearms, according to a release posted to Regimental Combat Team 5’s Web site on Sunday.

“Intelligence has informed us that al Qaeda is handing out realistic toy weapons to the children of Fallujah in hopes that a U.S. service member might mistakenly shoot an Iraqi child,” Sgt. Tylor A. Belshe of the battalion’s civil affairs detachment said in the release.

Civil affairs leathernecks assigned to 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, were visiting an all-girls school in the city “when a young boy ran down the street with what appeared to be a real handgun,” the release said.

Marines stopped the boy, discovered his weapon was a toy, then traded him a soccer ball for it, according to the release.

[lapfog_1]

1. Well, we should be able to outspend them in the toy department.

This is a good thing... and the marines there should set up an exchange post... manned by Iraqis, and exchange toy guns for soccer balls and whatever other toys the kids like.

[Hulsey13]

2. Excellent.

I hope this story doesn't spin as an attack on the troops, i.e. "they are taking kids' toys away." This action could definitely save the lives of Iraqi children, and I applaud our military for having the sense to do it.

Semper Fi, Marines!

[Malva Zebrina]

3. So this is what our troops in Iraq are doing? consifiscating toys from children?

Swell--what a mission eh? And they just happen to have soccer balls in their humvees? Five troops were killed today. Right, deploy troops to investigate what toys children are using. Yup. That oughta win the so called "war" in Iraq.

[Lurking Dem]

4. And there it is.

:eyes:

[Ian David]

5. Was this story planted by Rumsfeld's Psy-ops program? n/t

[bemildred]

7. Pretty likely.

Or some such thing. Remember the baby incubators? This is pretty much the same thing. In an earlier day and a different place we would be hearing about legions of raped nuns.

[Ezlivin]

6. Because our corporations want the first crack at this market

We can't have someone else selling realistic toy guns.

That's our job.

[Brundle_Fly]

8. I expect some horrible news.

like they killed some kids, and this is why... just you watch.