CNN Breaking: 3 U.S. Civilians Killed in Iraq Drive-by Shooting

[VolcanoJen]

.... breaking, will update shortly.

UPDATE:

Walter Rodgers of CNN reports that about 5 hours ago, in daylight, a car carrying 5 US Civilian workers was attacked by a band of shooters, just north of Mosul. The other 2 in the car are listed as gravely wounded.

No word on which company the five were working for, or if they were part of the US diplomatic force.

[spinbaby]

1. 2 or 3 killed a week or so ago

A couple of civilians were killed last week. Is the latest tactic to strike at Brown and Root employees?

[indepat]

7. How sad, but they will have no trouble recruiting replacements

for surely many are willing to put their lives at grave risk if the pay is right and I suspect the pay is right.

[cjbuchanan]

2. Yahoo link

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20040315/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_shooting

[dArKeR]

5. Why do you think this story is being rated at '1' = not important. Thus

get the story off of yahoo, in the minds of those raters?

[leftchick]

6. here is another link... yours did not work for me....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20040315/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_shooting

<snip>

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Gilroy, a military spokesman in Baghdad, said the victims worked for a non-governmental organization. The wounded were being treated at the U.S. Army combat support hospital in Mosul.

U.S. Lt. Col. Joseph Piek, a spokesman for American forces in Mosul, said in an e-mail message that the victims were traveling in one car on the eastern side of the city when they were attacked.

Witnesses said they saw victims lying on the street and inside the car, including a man in the front passenger's side with his seat belt fastened.

[proud patriot]

3. :-(

the coward in theif must be held to account

[VolcanoJen]

4. The international tide is turning... when willl our tide turn???

Shortly, I'm thinking...

[Barrett808]

8. Latest report: Gunmen Kill 3 U.S. Civilians, Wound 2 in Iraq

Gunmen Kill 3 U.S. Civilians, Wound 2 in Iraq
By Maher al-Thanoon

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying U.S. civilians in the northern city of Mosul on Monday, killing three and wounding two in the latest deadly attack targeting foreigners in Iraq.

Witnesses said the victims had been driving through the city, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, in a civilian vehicle without a military escort when attackers raked their car with AK-47 assault rifles. Helicopters ferried the wounded to a U.S. army hospital, and police sealed off the area.

A military spokesman in Baghdad confirmed the attack but had no information on what organization the civilians worked for.

The last week has seen a surge in deadly attacks on foreigners in Iraq.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040315/ts_nm/iraq_attack_dc

[papau]

10. The AP agreees - 3 dead, 2 wounded in Iraq

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA0WH30VRD.html

Three American Civilians Killed, Two Wounded, in Drive-by Shooting

By Christopher Torchia Associated Press Writer
Published: Mar 15, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Three American civilians were killed and two were wounded in a drive-by shooting Monday in the northern city of Mosul, the U.S. military said. Hospital officials said two of the dead were women. <snip>

In Kirkuk, Aggar Al-Taweel was (the second Iraqi official in the region to be killed in two days)- shot several times in the head as he drove to the weekly meeting of the council of the ethnically divided city, said police chief Torhan Yussif. His bodyguard was also killed.

Al-Taweel, a Shiite who founded an Arab political party that later splintered, was known for his frank opinions and was often outspoken in council debates. <snip>

In Mosul on Sunday, guerrillas raked a government convoy with gunfire, killing the regional secretary of labor and social affairs and his driver, U.S. Maj. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said.

[Zhade]

9. Counter-insurgents killing war profiteers. Not surprising.

If these people would prefer not to be killed for aiding and abetting the illegal occupation and privatization of Iraq, they should ditch the country.

I'm not happy they're being killed, but I can't feel sorry for them. They're preying on the Iraqi people, and they should get the hell out of Iraq!

EDIT: I missed that these people may have worked for an NGO, in which case I do feel sympathy for them (assuming they worked for the Red Cross or something, not the Organization To Rape Iraq).

[alcuno]

11. I saw an amazing report about all the young GOP working for the CPA.

It was so creepy to see these gung ho Republican-types intent on bringing Democracy to Iraq. Apparenly they've been recruiting from the Bush/Cheney 2000 election volunteers.

[osaMABUSh]

12. On cnn.com front page now; Hey, Iraq War - Happy Anniversary!

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/03/15/iraq.main/index.html

Should get some air play tonight on the news channels.

With this week being the one year anniversary (yes, I remember it well, being drunk in a bar on St. Patty's Day a year ago and cursing at Shrub's face being on the TV going on about WMDs, madman, etc., I guess - luckily , it was too noisy to actually hear him)

Anyway, with all the bad news about Iraq coming out now it'll fit nicely with all the one year anniversary TV specials.

[Blue_Roses]

13. What a total caotic

mess and all for what...? Senseless and sickening...

[monobrau]

14. Baptist Missionaries

Outside of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, I'd say Iraq is about the worst place to be for christian proselytizers operating under the guise of "civic improvement".
And they aren't helping our soldiers there by antagonizing the population.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

17. In a highly "secured" environment like this, how is it that these

yuckapucks even get authorization to fly in there? Are there regular commercial civilian flights going into Baghdad Int'l?

[saigon68]

20. yuckapucks even get authorization to fly in there?

These people are mostly CIA. I wonder if they were carrying their Swedish K's-- oh, I forgot they only carry Hk-5's now

[berry]

21. Does the US require visas for Americans to go to Iraq?

I've been wondering about this for a while. And recently Bremer's people have started requiring all media/press people to apply for permits to report from Iraq. So what has been the official US policy on missionaries in Iraq? I wonder what a list of the NGOs there would reveal.

I also remember something right after the attack last year--that fundie missionaries were going to Iraq in droves, with the blessings of *. It seemed bizarre, considering the trouble those 2 girls captured by the Taliban had caused. Apparently stray Christian missionaries should be allowed to mess with foreign policy all they want, but let a Democrat mention foreign disgust with * and all hell breaks loose--that is to say, the PR machine revs up....

[DenverDem]

18. So these weren't "civilians" at all.

Southern Baptists are no more than a rad right PAC. Their missionaries are no less than CIA fronts.

[Barkley]

15. Who says 'there's no place like home?" - n/t

[ZR2]

16. Was this in the L.A. or Detroit section of Mosul ?

If nothing else, we are teaching them are way of life.

[newyawker99]

19. Hi ZR2!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: