Friendly Fire in Iraq Takes Toll on U.S.-Led Coalition - and Iraqis

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBSP91916E.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - They're told every day across Iraq - tragic stories of people dying in hails of gunfire, shattered windshields and car seats covered in blood.

Friendly fire - often at U.S. military checkpoints - is taking a toll on the United States and its allies, as the shooting deaths of an Italian intelligence agent and a Bulgarian soldier highlight the terrifying reality of Iraqi roads. But Iraqi civilians are getting tangled up in the violence as well, at an alarming rate.

"They're just cowboys," an infuriated Abdullah Mohammed said Monday of U.S. troops who killed his brother Feb. 28 in Ramadi. Mohammed said his brother edged too close to an American patrol. "They killed him without any reason, they suddenly shot at his car." snip

While shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians are so common they're rarely reported in the media, deaths of foreigners can grab headlines and increase pressure on America's allies to pull out. snip

"It's a real crime when U.S. forces open their fire toward innocent people," Salaheddin said. "They leave families in deep sorrow, they leave them helpless."

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[murray hill farm]

1. If Italy pulls out..

who is left?

[Cocoa]

2. CNN once ran a piece about a friendly fire victim

but who was HAPPY, and still loved the Americans and still supported the war.

His whole family, wife and like six kids, mowed down in their car at a checkpoint, and he's happy as a clam, showing the CNN people around his house.

That's the whores' perfect Iraq.

[jpak]

11. These people lived under Saddam - and they know what they have to say

to please their new masters.

When Saddam said "Get out and vote", they got out and voted.

When ChimpCo said "Get out and vote", they got out and voted.

This was a survival reflex - not sincerity...

Meet the New Boss, etc....

[Teaser]

3. Notice how the Iraqis are an afterthought

in that title. Really telling about how we think.

[oasis]

4. Surprise, surprise. A cover story for the ambush on the Italian commie.

:eyes:

[Skidmore]

6. Cover story or no,

I believe there is great truth to it. Didn't Rummy have the field commanders tell units in Falluja that coming home depended on finishing the job? I imagine these guys have been told this more than once. Since many of them are doing second and third tours, "shoot first" perhaps is equivalent to "mission accomplished." I think this type of behavior is reprehensible, but the civilian leaders of the military are doing a number on these guys and on the public.

[oasis]

8. Good point. If we examine the underlying messages that our troops

are being sent, their behavior can be better understood.

Edit to add: Rumsfeld WILL be held accountable at some point.

[cliss]

9. Stan Goff wrote

that the US marched into Iraq, not just to secure the oil fields, but also to be seen as the "Supreme Power on Earth", fierce, fear-instilling.

All nations would cower when they saw the US trail of destruction, and tremble, knowing they could be next.

It was a tactic used to instill extreme fear in other countries (in particular Middle Eastern countries) and it was very deliberate.

Think about it: they've been doing this since Day 1 in Iraq. Notice, they have not changed their ways one iota. They just lie, cover up, dismiss.

All part of the plan.

[Tempest]

5. Take an aspirin and go to bed, you'll feel better in the morning

Edward Luttwak, an American military expert interviewed in La Repubblica newspaper, said Calipari's death was "the sort of thing that happens all the time in a war", and he advised Italy to "take an aspirin and go to bed, you'll feel better in the morning".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10114085

[leftchick]

7. here isan Iraqi car shot from the weekend. No comment from the US!

Two Iraqi men look at a damaged car after it was shot at in the restive city of Ramadi, 100 kms west of Baghdad. The occupant of the car was killed when shots were fired from what witnesses said were US soldiers on patrol. There is no US military confirmation on this.(AFP/Mohammed Fakhri)

[struggle4progress]

10. kick