E&P: Press Accounts Suggest Possible Military Cover-up in Ishagi Killings

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor & Publisher: Press Accounts Suggest Possible Military 'Cover-up' in Ishagi Killings
By Greg Mitchell
Published: June 03, 2006 1:40 PM ET updated Sunday

NEW YORK The U.S military said Saturday it had found no wrongdoing in the March 15 raid on a home in Ishaqi that left nine Iraqi civilians dead. But, as with the apparent massacre in Haditha, will a military "coverup" in this case come undone?

The Iraqi police charge that American forces executed the civilians, including a 75-year-old woman and a 6-month-old baby. The BBC has been airing video of the dead civilians, mainly children, who appeared to be shot, possibly at close range. Photographs taken just after the raid for Agence France-Presse, and reports at the time by Reuters and Knight Ridder, also appear to largely back up the charge of an atrocity.

After the attack, American officials said that they had demolished the house in an airstrike after insurgents fired from the building. One insurgent, two women and a child were killed in the attack, they said.

After the Haditha killings, the military said all of the Iraqis had been killed in an explosion or a firefight.

"Allegations that the troops executed a family living in this safe house, and then hid the alleged crimes by directing an airstrike, are absolutely false," today's U.S. military statement said. It did not explain how so many children had been shot and killed....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002613009

[uppityperson]

1. More press=good. And about those children

they just must've gotten in the way somehow. :sarcasm: More media coverage is good. RIP people, so sorry.

[IndianaGreen]

2. This was cold blooded murder according to Democracy Now broadcast

Schofield appeared on the Democracy Now radio and TV program with Amy Goodman in March. There, according to a transcript, he said:

"We were talking with the police officer who was first on the scene earlier today. He explained the scene of arriving. He said they waited until U.S. troops had left the area and it was safe to go in. When they arrived at the house, it was in rubble. I don't know if you've seen the photos of the remains of the house, but there was very little standing.

"He said they expected to find bodies under the rubble. Instead, what they found was in one room of the house, in one corner of one room, there was a single man who had been shot in the head. Directly across the room from him against the other wall were ten people, ranging from his 75-year-old mother-in-law to a six-month-old child, also several three-year-olds -- a couple three-year-olds, a couple five-year-olds, and four other -- three other women.

"Lined up, they were covered, and they had all been shot. According to the doctor we talked to today, they had all been shot in the head, in the chest. A number of -- you know, generally, some of them were shot several times. The doctor said it's very difficult to determine exactly what kind of caliber gun they were shot with. He said the entry wounds were generally small and round, the exit wounds were generally very large. But they were lined up along one wall.

"There was a blanket over the top of them, and they were under the rubble, so when the police arrived, and residents came to help them start digging in, they came across the blankets. They picked the blankets up. They say, at that point, that the hands were handcuffed in front of the Iraqis. They had been handcuffed and shot. And the Iraqi assumption is that they were shot in front of the man across the room. They came to be facing each other.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002613009

[uppityperson]

3. I agree with that assessment.

it is a sad day when I have to use the sarcasm smiley for posts like they must've gotten in the way or something. Yes, they were murdered. War is hell, people do hellish things in war, war should never be entered into lightly, impeachment and removal from office, out of Iraq.

[lyonn]

6. This country of ours has acted with such arrogance toward others

The only way that we can regain some dignity, integrity, believability, etc. is by electing in the coming election either a democratic House or Senate. Then we can make statements that will not be constantly trashed by this admin., we can begin to tell the world we are not all as cruel and arrogant as our leader, the bully of the world. Then elect someone for president that won't keep waving the big stick and try some diplomacy.

[babylonsister]

4. Horrendous, and there are so many people involved in this

disgusting cover-up. How many more are we destined to read about? If I was an Iraqi, I'd hate us, too.

[acmavm]

5. So, anyone think that there's anything that the US can possibly do now

to make the 'insurgency' put away their guns and explosives? Any takers on the Iraqi goverment and the 'new' cabinet being able to quell the violence? This is been going on since we dropped the first bomb on the civilian populace. All we've ever done is kill innocent people.

And the frigging idiots in uniform are whining about 'why don't they understand we're here help'.

NO ONE NEEDS THIS KIND OF 'HELP'.

[UpInArms]

7. US M$M - Cover-up in the headines

kickin' and recommendin'

:kick:

[rodeodance]

8. rec.