Officials Defend Gunship Action: Firing Into Crowded Street Called ..

[struggle4progress]

.. Appropriate Response
September 16, 2004
By Patrick J. McDonnell, Times Staff Writer

BAGHDAD — U.S. commanders acknowledged Wednesday that their helicopters fired seven rockets and 30 high-caliber machine-gun rounds onto a crowded Baghdad street this week during a battle that killed 16 Iraqis and sparked a heated debate about how civilians often become the victims of U.S. firepower. <snip>

U.S. officials said it was unclear what caused the casualties — volleys from the helicopters, explosions from ammunition in the Bradley or insurgent fire. "We regret the loss of any innocent civilians," said Col. Jim McConville, who heads the aviation brigade for the 1st Cavalry Division.

The carnage along the capital's Haifa Street has enraged many Iraqis, who say that U.S. troops often attack without provocation and fire randomly when under assault.

The unusual public recounting of Sunday's battle was an effort to defuse charges that the two helicopters fired randomly into a crowd of civilians. <snip>

http://www.ctnow.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-iraqcollateral0916.artsep16,1,5508810.story?coll=hc-headlines-topnews

[Radius]

1. Anyone have an anon login ID?(NT)

[struggle4progress]

2. !

www.bugmenot.com

[Career Prole]

3. Just a little crowd control...nothing to see here, folks! n/t

[chelsea0011]

4. Images can turn the public

I thought the image of the journalist being gunned down by helicopters while filming might get the same reaction of Vietnam images that turned the public off to the war. The site of this man being slaughtered in the street was horrifying but barely covered.

[leftchick]

7. That was broadcast all over the Arab world....

Imagine how they are reacting to this response from the US Military?
If they didn't already hate us.... :(

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. How to lose a war

nt

[Journeyman]

6. Don't they understand? It doesn't matter what we say. . .

the perception and belief in the Middle East is our gunship fired indiscriminately into a peaceful crowd, and all the loud protestations and fervent appeals will not sway that opinion. We are screwed, "everyway from Tuesday," and nothing we do can change that. Our only option is to leave. That's the only effort we can make that will meet with general approval in the Middle East.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. This wasn't the kind of "action" one would expect in a

"liberator"/"liberated" relationship.

[MrPrax]

9. Too bad...

Too bad after 18 months the Media is still not reporting what has gone on from Day One of the Mission to cleanse the world of WMDs...er...spread democracy...er...save Iraq from Saddam...

just exterminate, loot and destroy and then wonder why wouldn't anyone go to Iraq and help out Iraqis by killing US troops?

Where are all the anti-war demos in the US? Oh yeah...the election

[Catfight]

10. Is this what "bring it on" mean?

[Trajan]

11. Hey ....

Israel does it ...

It MUST be ok ....

[illiteratepresident]

14. ditto.

Iraq = our own personal Palestine.

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/

[Supersedeas]

12. EFFORT to DEFUSE charges--'bout says it all, no?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. Our friends, brothers, neighbors, accountants, storekeepers

have been put in an untenable position and someone in the Pentagon needs to go down for all of this. Several neocons need to go to prison for this. An administration needs to be booted for this. How is it that we all knew where this was going 3 1/2 years ago... and they didn't.

It is because they are malignant dumb... and driven by ulterior motives.