US Soldiers Kill Three Shopping Iraqis

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=3&u=/ap/20031117/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_shooting

<snip>BAGHDAD - A U.S. patrol opened fire Monday on a group of people in Baghdad's gun market, killing three, after the soldiers apparently mistook the gunfire of customers testing weapons for an attack, a witness and an Iraqi police officer said.

Four people also were wounded, hospital and police officials said. The dead included an 11-year-old boy.

In Iraq (news - web sites), it is legal for a family to own one gun for self-defense. That weapon is usually an AK-47 assault rifle. The gun market, however, is illegal and has been raided repeatedly by U.S. soldiers, who have tried to close it down.

The incident began when a group of Iraqis were testing a gun in the market by firing it in the air, said Maj. Ali Rykan of the Iraqi police.

As they fired, four armored cars passed by, Rykan said.


At least two U.S. soldiers then opened fire on the market, killing three Iraqis, said Rykan and a witness, Hashem Naim Mohammed. Mohammed's 11-year-old nephew, Akil Hussein Naim, was among the dead.

[saigon68]

1. Now that should win hearts and minds!!!

Unreal???

[izzie]

8. Yes it is. What a mass.

Great country and now our much loved Prez will fly into England behind 4 inch steel, and the whole bloody fool -hearted thing he calls a visit. God help us all.This man has made a mess of USA and the world. You hate to think of what his evil eye will rest on next.

[Voltaire99]

16. Operation Attention Shoppers!

Coming hard on the heels of Operation Tie Up Those Brown Children and Operation This Explosion Will Look Awesome on Fox News.

[lumpy]

2. Who are the terrorists here ?

nt

[Cocoa]

3. were the soldiers arrested?

that's homicide, right?

[jobycom]

10. naw, just a perk of being a soldier or a cop

You get to make fatal mistakes and just have to say sorry afterwards.

Though to be fair, I feel as sorry for our soldiers as for the Iraqis. Can you imagine the fear and tension they serve under? We have a policy that sets them up to do nothing but draw fire and fire back. No plan, no reason for them to be there. Their nerves must be a mess. They hear gunshots, they assume it's another attack, and they are too frightened to know what else to do. Now these soldiers have to live the rest of their lives knowing they killed an innocent 11 year old son. Think how they will feel when their own sons turn 11.

Bush is a monster.

[peterh]

4. It’s obvious that nerves are on edge.....

and I feel for the American soldiers whom have been ordered in harms way….but this episode is just another example of the fallacy of “nation building” through military means. Our military were trained to defend, not occupy.

[kidrocks]

5. God Damn you President Bush!

It's all your fault! You and your stinking war is killing innocent Iraqi people and American soldiers.

[MaineDem]

6. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[underpants]

7. "Hey Sgt. I think they are shooting at us ""From where?"

"From that gun market"



I think everyone is more than a little tired and jumpy over there.

[Scott Lee]

9. Looking for bargains, and committing other acts of aggression..

Seriously, how shitty is this going to have to get before more Americans open their sleep encrusted eyes on this issue?

[wtmusic]

11. Yahoo! edits story title to: U.S. soldiers kill 3 at Baghdad gun market

Sounds a little more innocent that way, doesn't it?

Let Yahoo know you don't appreciate their 'editorializing' of AP's headlines!

http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/news/cgi_feedback?from_url=http%3A%2F%2Fhelp%2Eyahoo%2Ecom%2Fhelp%2Fus%2Fnews%2Fnews%2D03%2Ehtml

[leftchick]

14. they have been doing a lot of editing lately......

rove must be on the phone all day!

[bushisanidiot]

12. Bullsh*t Story. Sounds WAY too convenient to me.. lot's of "accidents"

i don't believe a word the pentagon says

[Old and In the Way]

13. Anyone know what the NRA's position is?

Do they think everyone should should have the RKBA or just Americans?

[jpgray]

15. Dont' forget--they aren't trained for this

It is is first and foremost the politicians and the brass who are to blame for getting them into this mess, and not giving them the job they were trained for. The UN is experienced at peacekeeping and policing--the US army is experienced at attacking and killing an enemy.

[loudnclear]

17. Where is the outrage from the gun nuts in the US? NRA?

We are taking away guns from Iraqi citizens. Are they not entitled to guns to protect themselves? The NRA uses the 2nd amendment argument to fight for the right to bear arms at home, yet our government would deny that right to citizens of other countries. It's one of the most hypocritical stances our government is guilty of.

[NickB79]

18. Outraged gun nut here

I agree with you, this is totally hypocritical. One of these days I'm gonna try to bring it up on one of the hunting boards I visit and try not to get kicked off. But, if I do get kicked off, its just a verification of the hypocrisy shown by some of my fellow gun nuts. "You need guns for self-defense, but, um, unless you're one of those 'brown people', then you're a terr-ist and you must be shot!" Ugh.

[ducky]

19. to be fair

No one goes to a gunshow in America, buys a rifle, then loads a full magazine and proceeds to shoot it into the air.

Anyone who has taken a physics class in highschool knows that the bullets they fired would come down and injure and kill somebody.

[leftchick]

20. hey newsflash for you.......

they are not in murica, it is their fucking country. My guess would be this is a typical "gun shopping" activity for the region.

[fizzana]

22. American soldiers also shot up a wedding party where it's

traditional to shoot guns in the air.

Perhaps the Americans should have taken a bit of time to understand local habits and customs. Maybe a lot of Iraqis would be alive if they bothered.

[Old and In the Way]

23. But you could.....that would be your right, correct?

Americans apparently perfer the horizontal method vs. the vertical method...in both cases, bullets go somewhere.

I think it's an accepted cultural practice there....much like some men here who enjoy killing defenseless animals.

But you really didn't answer the question Ducky....does the NRA agree with the people of Iraq on RKBA?

[hussar]

21. Was this novel approach invented in the USA

What a fantastic idea, kill anyone you like and no consequences, that will be great when these nut cases come home?

Now when I was a soldier if we did something like that we would expect a long, long time behind bars but then again I was in the British army.

[Frangible]

24. That's one way to deal with those pesky gun owners

nt

[The_Casual_Observer]

25. This is simple genocide, there isn't

any other way to define it. It is being done in the name of the citizens of the USA for the sake of their "security"