US helicopter fires on Iraqi funeral party-ministry

[cal04]

A U.S. helicopter fired on a funeral party in Baghdad, one of dozens taking place after Thursday's devastating bombings in Sadr City, in response to ritual shooting, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.

A ministry official said two people were wounded in Friday's air strike, which came after mourners fired into the air.

Earlier, some residents and a Shi'ite lawmaker reported clashes between gunmen and U.S.-led forces in Sadr City, a stronghold of the Mehdi Army militia in the Iraqi capital.

A U.S. military spokesman said he could not comment on specific operations but U.S. forces were helping Iraqi army and police enforce a curfew imposed after the Sadr City attacks on Thursday which killed more than 200 people.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL462533.htm

[acmavm]

1. US troops were helping the Iraqis? Wait, the Iraqi army stood by

and let six Sunnis be burnt alive.

I need a scorecard. I don't know who's playing for what friggin' team anymore.

[MsKandice01]

2. Shit!

Heartbreaking.

[shance]

3. The cruelty and viciousness is happening in our name. This is so wrong.

What do we do??

[Barrett808]

4. What, no wedding parties to fire on?

I guess not -- probably damn few weddings in the abattoir nowadays.

[asjr]

5. What worries me is that the Iraqis

will soon lose any patience left, join the militias and Iraqi "army of police," and turn on the Americans. There may be such a bloodbath our military may not have a way to "cut and run." No one is in charge, least of all our president. And the whole world is watching and waiting.

[rzemanfl]

7. If our people over there have to do a fighting withdrawal a lot of

them are going to die. I have been worried about this for a long time.

[superconnected]

8. Since our president condones torture, they are not better

to join the us forces. The US forces are temporarily there anyway and won't help them in a civil war.

The bloody civil war was enevitable the 2nd sadam was captured. It was an instant new struggle between warlords to be king of the mountian. The US being there was a temporary thing that they all knew would end.

The US needs to back out. We caused it, but we cannot stop it.

The Civil war will happen, the faster it's over the better.

The only thing we should have been doing was helping anyone out who wanted out. Instead with Dumbshit for prez, we're killing and causing more discord.

[twilight_sailing]

9. That's why

we don't let them have air power, armor, or artillery.

[bigdarryl]

16. That's already happening

[Donkeykick]

6. This only goes to show you...

just how much this President is out of touch with this war. I blame every bit of this on him and Rummey; not our troops.

[superconnected]

10. Or worse he enjoys the murder and torture.

It's not like his policy doesn't condone it, or that he didn't have the most blood on his hands before he stole the prez office.

Texas death penalty.

George Bush is Satans right hand man. He has to be by the crap he's caused and the policys he's toting. I don't believe in Satan, but I'm sure George does. And I'm sure he considers himself a helper to the friggen evil emporer.

[mc jazz]

11. what I really want to know

is who is behind Bush. He's their perfect true believer until he outlives his usefulness
It's high time some investigation was done of all those behind the scenes and find out how they became so powerful in a democracy.


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if i had all the money I'd spent on drink, I'd spend it on drink

[xchrom]

12. deeper and deeper.

[annabanana]

13. "in response to ritual shooting"

How and when does shooting firearms into the air become part of a ritual? (And when does it morph from lots of un-choreographed shooting into a 21-gun salute?)

(It's a stupid ritual, IMHO)

[oblivious]

17. "Most of the Iraqis use guns to express their joy, grief, anger…etc."

Iraqis adore guns. It appears in every field of their legacy, culture, everyday life and so on. Most of the Iraqis use guns to express their joy, grief, anger…etc. Shooting guns in air is a regular daily incident. I can recall long ago, when I was a kid, a funeral procession of a tribe leader (Sheik). Hundreds of men were shooting their guns in air, and I can recollect the fear & horror I felt then.

Saddam era, through several wars, made the relation between Iraqis and arms much closer, and the society have been militarized. On the 8th of August 1988, Iraq-Iran war came to an end. And to celebrate ceasing fire in a war which seemed to be an endless one, the Iraqis kept on firing their guns for three days! It caused death to more than 300 people and injured more than 3000 in Baghdad only. One of my acquaintances lost his pregnant wife at that time. She was killed by a bullet falling back to ground hit her head.

The common way to warn people of a moving car is to honk the horn, and of the emergency vehicles is to use siren. A brand new way of warning people of a coming procession is used nowadays in Iraq, that’s shooting guns in air. So a driver may be totally taken by surprise by an IP or National Guard vehicle shooting in the air to make their way. The American troops use a developed method by shooting directly at cars to draw attention of other drivers.

http://ibnalrafidain.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_ibnalrafidain_archive.html

[PurityOfEssence]

14. No matter the circumstances, this is the popular perception

Regardless of whether it was returning fire or mistaking celebratory gunfire for hostile, the perception is further seared into the Arab consciousness: we lead airstrikes against weddings and funerals. What a dreadful mess; I see no good conclusion or immediate plan.

May Junior live to be a hundred and ten in abject public humiliation.

[Massachusetts]

15. Where is the furious anger demanding Impeachment of these traitors?

We, The People are stuck with the clean up.......