US forces shoot anthing the consider a threat - 'we don't care'

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday April 12, 2003 00:19 by hunter

why does liberation stink of death and occupation?

(Thursday) According to the Financial Times, US forces in Baghdad were opening fire on anything they sonsidered a threat, "repeatedly, hitting unarmed men, women and children". The FT reporter said : "Three times in three hours I saw troops who had seized one of Saddam Hussein's small palaces open fire, killing five people and wounding five - among them a six-year-old girl who was shot in the head."

He continued: "The marines shot anything that they considered remotely a threat. An old blue Volkswagen came up an alley opposite the palace gate. A marine on top of the stone-clad arch of the gate opened fire and the car crashed into a wall. We heard screaming from the alley. None of the US troops moved.

"If it had not been for Mohammed Fatnan, an Iraqi translator with the UK's Channel 4 News, the Americans would not have treated the casualties. Mr Fatnan crossed the road outside the palace under the guns of two marine armoured fighting vehicles and came back carrying a young girl, Zahra Abdel-Samii', bleeding from the head.

"In the alley, a man who had run on to his balcony upon hearing gunfire had been shot dead. Men wailing "There is no God but God" were hauling him into the back seat of a car in a blanket.

"Our driver met us with an account of how marines in a palace watchtower had shot dead three men walking up the pavement only 20 yards away from him."

Meanwhile in Kerbala

In Kerbala a young Iraqi boy stooped to pick up a rocket propelled grenade off the body of a dead paramilitary, U.S. Army Private Nick Boggs shot him and his friend dead.

Boggs says he has no regrets about opening fire.

"I did what I had to do. I don't have a big problem with it but anyone who shoots a little kid has to feel something," he said, and continued "I think they thought we wouldn't shoot kids. But we showed them we don't care. We are going to do what we have to do to stay alive and keep ourselves safe."

Keeping themselves safe from children, just like the IDF keep themselves safe from children, peace activists and 'terrorist' houses that have to be bulldozed to ensure 'peace and security' in the occupied territories. Occupation being the key linking word here. It is no coincidence that the man appointed to take over the ruling of Iraq, retired Lieutenant-General Jay Garner, is vehemently pro-Israel.

These are just two of many stories i have read about civilians deaths at the hands of the liberators, no doubt many more will follow in the coming period.

In other news, are we to see Guantanamo Bay II?

According to the CBC, US/UK forces are currently holding 7,300 prisoners of war in Iraq. And they are building a tent city prison camp that could eventually hold up to 24,000 people. One feature of the planned compound will be an interrogation centre.

Conviently forgetting that interrogation of POWs is forbidden under Geenva, and after conflict has ended you are supposed to realese all POWs. Not that I expect Geenva to be upheld ecer again - except when it suits the imperialists.

And finally, as an aside, Amnesty reports that in 2002 "The top three executioner states were China -- with 1,060 executions in only one year -- Iran with 113 executions and the United States with 71 executions,"

The US standing in good stead there.

sources:

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1048313663741&p=1012571727162 (baghdad)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07538430.htm (kerbala)