US admits killing civilians in Baghdad raid

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L3160769.htm

BAGHDAD, July 31 (Reuters) - Four days after U.S. troops killed several passers-by in Baghdad during the hunt for Saddam Hussein, the U.S. commander in Iraq admitted on Thursday that innocent people had died, but stopped short of accepting blame.

"On the issue of the innocent civilians that were killed and injured in that raid, we established some...traffic control points to isolate the area that we were operating in," Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez told a news conference in answer to questions about the bloody raid.

Angry neighbours accused the Task Force 20 special unit hunting Saddam's inner circle of failing to block all the side roads leading to a house they were raiding on Sunday in Baghdad's upscale Mansour neighbourhood. When a car strayed into the fire zone, soldiers blasted it with machineguns.

U.S. soldiers and medical staff at a nearby hospital told Reuters five men, including a teenager, were killed.

more

[saigon68]

1. WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS ----so they throw Flowers

Also from the article

"The episode was not the only one in which Iraqi civilians have been killed by U.S. troops since the war. Such incidents have contributed to resentment of the American presence."

And then some moron wonders why someone takes a shot at someone in the dark ????

[Sagan]

2. so they admit to doing it, but don't accept the blame??

WTF is that about? Sounds a lot like the misAdministration.

[ClownKing]

3. Another little gem from this article

Followed your link and read the article. Someone I found myself rereading this following gem near the end of tha article with disbelief:

Asked about an apology, he said: "Apologies are not something that we have within military processes...We acted on intelligence that we believed was sufficient."


So now we are so arrogant that we can't even apologize when we screw up and everyone knows it. Not being sorry makes us stronger or something?

[htuttle]

4. Being able to recognize and learn from your mistakes...

...seems to be considered a weakness..

Then again, I suppose it's really nothing new. The US Navy handed out a medal to the air-warfare coordinator of the USS Vincennes after mistakenly shooting down a civilian Iranian airliner in 1988.

[ClownKing]

6. The crew of the US Reconn plane that was forced to land in China..

.. got Air Medals.

Established on May 11, 1942. The Air Medal is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who subsequent to September 8, 1939, shall have distinguished himself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. It was given for combat or non-combat action, and conferred in recognition of single acts of heroism or merit for operational activities against an armed enemy. Additionally, it is given for meritorious services, or for sustained distinction in the performance of duties involving regular and frequent participation in aerial flight.

I know I'm probably going to catch some heat for saying this, but I thought this was setting the bar a little lower at the time. I do, however, agree that the pilot deserved the Distinguished Flying Cross.

[TacticalPeek]

7. I agree.

For the rest, if they insist on medal overkill, just come out with a "Did Your Job" medal. With cluster, if they get their paperwork right.

[jpak]

5. Does 'Mericka care????

Nope

The lives of stupid little foreign paiple is worthless.

Anyways, they should be grateful that our wonerful president George W. Bush lib'rated 'em and Saddam and his Ebil Sons ain't torcherin 'em anymores...

[mistertrickster]

8. They aren't "civilians"--they are Saddam's loyalists, militia, supporters

or fedayeen. Just like in 'Nam when we smoked the natives, they instantly became "VC."

The press has got to start spinning this like in the old days: "Sometimes you have to destroy a village to save it."

Hmmmm . . .

[pinniped]

9. Sickening.

More blood on W's hands. But of course he doesn't give a sh*t.

The devil will be waiting to get his hands on him.:evilfrown:

[IndianaGreen]

10. Like Bush, the US military will never take responsibility

Task Force 20 is the American version of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen, whose job is to hunt down and kill enemies of the regime.

Like Hamas, they have accummulated quite a long list of innocent victims.

Their war crimes are a stain on the uniform they wear!

Those that voted and continue to support the war in Iraq are as guilty as the American Einsatzgruppen.

[atreides1]

12. But...

...being put into an Einsatzgruppe was considered to be a punishment,
not a reward.

It would seem that the members of Task Force 20 love their job, and
just can't get enough of killing unarmed civilians.

Jessica Lynch- Evil doctors and hospital staff

Sheep Smugglers-Evil shhep smugglers and Syrian Border Guards

Saddam-Evil men and teenaged boy

Uday & Qusay-6 hour standoff by 3 men and boy, mission succeeds
with the help of anti-tank missiles and heavy machine guns.

Does anyone know what else Einsatzgruppen 20 has been involved in,
with all the civilian dead they leave behind it shouldn't be that
hard to follow a trail.

[Mechatanketra]

11. We had to destroy the people to save them ...

I read somewhere that the initial invasion of Iraq resulted in the deaths of anywhere from 5 to 10 thousand noncombatants -- that is, the Iraqi people we ostensibly don't have a problem with, and only want to liberate from an evil dictator.

Think about that. That's like having another 9/11 at the start of every season.

My mind boggles at numbers like this. I mean, just how many people could have Saddam executed, assassinated, or otherwise had murdered in the course of his regime? It's possible our bombing really is an improvement, but I admit, these numbers are just too big -- I can't conceive of anyone being physically capable of scoring that high a body count just by sending their gestapo around. As it is, every accounting of Hussein's three decades of unrestrained brutality I've been able to dig up so far actually pales in comparison to the US's first three months, once one factors out the BS numbers (primarily the adding of the entire casualty counts of the wars with Iran and Kuwait -- the latter being particularly nifty sleight-of-mind, since it blames Saddam for the people WE shot).

I'm left wondering, if we didn't know it was us, wouldn't Americans feel the "Garner regime" ranked as a humanitarian crisis to be dealt with posthaste?