Confusion Reigns as U.S. Raid Misses Target in Iraq

[JI7]

<It began with U.S. troops busting through the doors of the wrong house.

Dozens of soldiers rammed the white gates of a well-to-do home in central Mosul early on Tuesday, detaining three Iraqi men, only to discover their target was a house with black gates.

"Four houses down," said the elderly homeowner patiently, his hands bound behind his back by yellow plastic cuffs.

"You've got the wrong people," he told the officer leading the operation in good English, his wife, daughter and two pajama-clad grandchildren cowering alongside him, trying to avoid the glare from the spotlights on the soldiers' guns.

For the past 19 months, U.S. forces have carried out raids across Iraq, sometimes netting big targets and gathering key intelligence to help them combat the sort of mounting insurgency that swept through Mosul this month, routing the police force.

But Iraqis say the targets are often wrong, and heavy-handed tactics have created resentment and alienated ordinary people.>

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=954278&tw=wn_wire_story

[Arkana]

1. 15000 miles away, Dubya says "I made a boo-boo."

Winning the hearts and minds my ass.

[Az_lefty]

2. Aw shucks, SWAT teams do this all the time....../-sarcasm

[tmooses]

3. Sure does sound like we're winning hearts and minds

[Moderator]

4. Duplicate topic--Please continue discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1016024