News: "Take them out, dude: pilots toast hit on Iraqi 'civilians' | By Andrew Buncombe in Washington | 06 October 2004
The Pentagon said yesterday it was investigating cockpit video footage that shows American pilots attacking and killing a group of apparently unarmed Iraqi civilians.
The 30-second clip shows the pilot targeting the group of people in a street in the city of Fallujah and asking his mission controllers whether he should 'take them out'. He is told to do so and, shortly afterwards, the footage shows a huge explosion where the people were. A second voice can be heard on the clip saying: 'Oh, dude.'
The existence of the video, taken last April inside the cockpit of a US F-16 fighter has been known for some time, though last night's broadcast by Channel 4 News is believed to be the first time a mainstream broadcaster has shown the footage.
At no point during the exchange between the pilot and controllers does anyone ask whether the Iraqis are armed or posing a threat. Critics say it proves war crimes are being committed. "
Friday, October 08, 2004
Falluja: US precision strike: 11 Iraqi dead, 17 wounde [... 2nd precsision strike against a wedding party]
Reuters AlertNet - U.S. strike kills 11 at wedding in Iraq's Falluja: "08 Oct 2004 04:47:20 GMT | Reuters | By Fadel al-Badrani
FALLUJA, Iraq, Oct 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. air strike on the rebel-held city of Falluja in western Iraq killed 11 people and wounded 17 at a wedding party, with women and children among the casualties, a hospital doctor said on Friday.
Rafah al-Hayat said the U.S. raid, the latest of several which the U.S. military has staged against targets it says are used by foreign militants in Falluja, occurred at about midnight (2100 GMT) on Thursday.
The U.S. military said the 'precision strike' had hit a safe-house being used by the network of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi at 1:15 a.m. on Friday."
FALLUJA, Iraq, Oct 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. air strike on the rebel-held city of Falluja in western Iraq killed 11 people and wounded 17 at a wedding party, with women and children among the casualties, a hospital doctor said on Friday.
Rafah al-Hayat said the U.S. raid, the latest of several which the U.S. military has staged against targets it says are used by foreign militants in Falluja, occurred at about midnight (2100 GMT) on Thursday.
The U.S. military said the 'precision strike' had hit a safe-house being used by the network of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi at 1:15 a.m. on Friday."
Monday, October 04, 2004
This is a Massacre, Not a War in Iraq
This is a Massacre, Not a War in Iraq: "Sam Hamod
10/04/04 'ICH' -- This is a massacre, not a war in Iraq. The U.S. bombing Samarra, Fallujah, Baghdad and other cities, killing hundreds of civilians and calling them terrorists is like the massacres of the Native Americans during America's push westward.
In this case, it has to do with America's push eastward.
What is also troubling is that no major media outlet, no major politician--none are callig this what it is, an immoral, unmitigated killing of hundreds of Iraqi civilians every week, a massacre.
Also, those who are experts in Arabic have claimed for months that the man alleged to be Zarqawi is not really Zarqawi because he does not have the real Zarqawi's Jordanian accent. But, the American military, we are positive by now, has created this mythical Zarqawi to allow it to mercilessly attack Fallujah ... but our country, America, is immoral and cowardly, every day attacking Fallujah by F16, Apache and long range cannon fire. In the process, killing hundreds of civilians, but as in the Viet Nam war, saying, "It's just collateral damage and we are not responsible for that."
...
America may win some battles, but it losing the larger war.
The entire world is condemning our behavior in Iraq as illegal and immoral. What is coming is the long term hatred of America by the majority of Muslims in the world, and some will become combatants in time--not necessarily in Iraq, but in their own countries. Bush and his massacre of Muslims is sowing anger, hatred, desire for revenge--in time, America will reap a whirlwind that the ignorant GW Bush has sown.
Make no mistake about it.
America has played its last cards as a moral world leader.
Our moral arguments now are laughable to the rest of the world.
...
Let's call it what it is in Iraq and Palestine, massacres, not wars. Somehow, it is as if Bush and Sharon are joined together at the hip and in their immoral hearts and minds.
Both are guilty of war crimes. We knew this about Sharon by recalling his infamous invasion of Lebanon in the 1980s; but we didn't know how much Bush would follow his lead and take America down with him.
Just remember this one line, "This is a massacre, not a war."
The Iraqis have no planes, helicopters or tanks; the Palestinians have no planes, helicopters or tanks; but America does and uses them indiscriminately, as does Israel. America should take a cue from the resistance to Israel, some day it will come here, when the people in the Muslim and Arab worlds have had enough and decide to strike back.
Woe unto us for allowing the madman Bush to kill people in Iraq, Afghanistan and by proxy, in Palestine. Some day, as Malcolm X prophesied, "The chickens will come home to roost."
10/04/04 'ICH' -- This is a massacre, not a war in Iraq. The U.S. bombing Samarra, Fallujah, Baghdad and other cities, killing hundreds of civilians and calling them terrorists is like the massacres of the Native Americans during America's push westward.
In this case, it has to do with America's push eastward.
What is also troubling is that no major media outlet, no major politician--none are callig this what it is, an immoral, unmitigated killing of hundreds of Iraqi civilians every week, a massacre.
Also, those who are experts in Arabic have claimed for months that the man alleged to be Zarqawi is not really Zarqawi because he does not have the real Zarqawi's Jordanian accent. But, the American military, we are positive by now, has created this mythical Zarqawi to allow it to mercilessly attack Fallujah ... but our country, America, is immoral and cowardly, every day attacking Fallujah by F16, Apache and long range cannon fire. In the process, killing hundreds of civilians, but as in the Viet Nam war, saying, "It's just collateral damage and we are not responsible for that."
...
America may win some battles, but it losing the larger war.
The entire world is condemning our behavior in Iraq as illegal and immoral. What is coming is the long term hatred of America by the majority of Muslims in the world, and some will become combatants in time--not necessarily in Iraq, but in their own countries. Bush and his massacre of Muslims is sowing anger, hatred, desire for revenge--in time, America will reap a whirlwind that the ignorant GW Bush has sown.
Make no mistake about it.
America has played its last cards as a moral world leader.
Our moral arguments now are laughable to the rest of the world.
...
Let's call it what it is in Iraq and Palestine, massacres, not wars. Somehow, it is as if Bush and Sharon are joined together at the hip and in their immoral hearts and minds.
Both are guilty of war crimes. We knew this about Sharon by recalling his infamous invasion of Lebanon in the 1980s; but we didn't know how much Bush would follow his lead and take America down with him.
Just remember this one line, "This is a massacre, not a war."
The Iraqis have no planes, helicopters or tanks; the Palestinians have no planes, helicopters or tanks; but America does and uses them indiscriminately, as does Israel. America should take a cue from the resistance to Israel, some day it will come here, when the people in the Muslim and Arab worlds have had enough and decide to strike back.
Woe unto us for allowing the madman Bush to kill people in Iraq, Afghanistan and by proxy, in Palestine. Some day, as Malcolm X prophesied, "The chickens will come home to roost."
Israeli offensive, code-named 'Days of Reckoning,' : 2 Israeli children dead, 83 Pal, incl 20 children, 350 wounded
International News Article | Reuters.com: "Arab Nations at UN Demand Israel Stop Gaza Attacks | Mon Oct 4, 2004 06:40 PM ET | By Evelyn Leopold
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Arab nations want the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding Israel stop a major offensive in the Gaza Strip, but the United States raised objections at an emergency meeting on Monday.
Algerian U.N. Ambassador Abdalla Baali, the only Arab member of the council, said 'taking into account the urgency of the situation' that resulted in at least 63 Palestinian deaths, he would like a vote on Tuesday.
'The Palestinian people are exposed to a virtual war of extermination,' Baali, who called the meeting, told the council. 'The unfettered use of brutal force is terrifying.'
Israel launched the offensive, code-named 'Days of Reckoning,' after a Palestinian rocket strike killed two children in the southern town of Sderot on Wednesday.
...
Palestinian U.N. observer Nasser al-Kidwa said his leadership condemned the "rudimentary" Qassam rocket attacks by Palestinians and especially the killing of Israeli children.
But he contended Israel over the last week had killed 83 people, including 20 children, wounded more than 350 others and demolished homes, using 2,000 soldiers, 100 tanks and a "massive use of helicopter gunships."
"Israel persists in committing war crimes and acts of state terrorism against the Palestinian people," al-Kidwa said. "There is no justification for this Israeli hysteria, for this widespread killings and deliberate destruction."
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Arab nations want the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding Israel stop a major offensive in the Gaza Strip, but the United States raised objections at an emergency meeting on Monday.
Algerian U.N. Ambassador Abdalla Baali, the only Arab member of the council, said 'taking into account the urgency of the situation' that resulted in at least 63 Palestinian deaths, he would like a vote on Tuesday.
'The Palestinian people are exposed to a virtual war of extermination,' Baali, who called the meeting, told the council. 'The unfettered use of brutal force is terrifying.'
Israel launched the offensive, code-named 'Days of Reckoning,' after a Palestinian rocket strike killed two children in the southern town of Sderot on Wednesday.
...
Palestinian U.N. observer Nasser al-Kidwa said his leadership condemned the "rudimentary" Qassam rocket attacks by Palestinians and especially the killing of Israeli children.
But he contended Israel over the last week had killed 83 people, including 20 children, wounded more than 350 others and demolished homes, using 2,000 soldiers, 100 tanks and a "massive use of helicopter gunships."
"Israel persists in committing war crimes and acts of state terrorism against the Palestinian people," al-Kidwa said. "There is no justification for this Israeli hysteria, for this widespread killings and deliberate destruction."
Translating Iraq Statistics: Austin Tx would have 25 explosions in one month!
The Human Toll Behind the Iraq Statistics: " October 4, 2004 by the Austin American-Statesman (Texas) | by Thomas G. Palaima
What do war statistics mean to us?
Imagine how Americans would feel if they were exposed to the same rate of insurgent attacks that are now occurring in Iraq. Six of the Iraqi provinces that have been declared safe have had four or more attacks per 100,000 people in the last month.
Let's say that here in Austin during the month of September, 25 explosions and killings and maimings took place in our neighborhoods. Imagine you knew that in larger cities such as Houston and Dallas the number of attacks had reached upward of 300 all the way to a 1,000, and that authorities showed no signs of being able to stop them. "
What do war statistics mean to us?
Imagine how Americans would feel if they were exposed to the same rate of insurgent attacks that are now occurring in Iraq. Six of the Iraqi provinces that have been declared safe have had four or more attacks per 100,000 people in the last month.
Let's say that here in Austin during the month of September, 25 explosions and killings and maimings took place in our neighborhoods. Imagine you knew that in larger cities such as Houston and Dallas the number of attacks had reached upward of 300 all the way to a 1,000, and that authorities showed no signs of being able to stop them. "
U.S. Policies Stir More Fear Than Confidence
U.S. Policies Stir More Fear Than Confidence: "October 3, 2004 | By Jeffrey Fleishman, Times Staff Writer
...
One of the sharpest differences between the U.S. and its longtime allies is over the issue of when to use force. A June poll conducted in part by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that 54% of the Americans surveyed, compared with 28% of the Europeans, believed that military strength would ensure peace. Among Europeans, 73% said the war in Iraq had increased the threat of terrorism.
The disparity represents two dynamics: The world has yet to understand how Sept. 11, 2001, jolted America's sense of security, and the U.S. has underestimated how much international credibility it sacrificed in the Iraq war.
Analysts suggest that America's foreign policy wouldn't significantly change if Sen. John F. Kerry defeats President Bush in November. The division between the men, as seen by much of the world, comes down to style and personality.
...
... The survey also found that on average, 58% of respondents in those countries said the Bush administration made them feel worse about the U.S. versus 19% who said the president's policies made them feel better.
...
"I believe the U.S. poses a greater risk to Egypt and the Islamic world than terrorism," said Tarek Refaat, a software engineer from Cairo. "If we have to have a global policeman, it should be the United Nations, not the U.S. What good does America do for me as a global policeman? I might need this global policeman to protect me if Egypt is attacked by Israel. And you think America will rush to protect Egypt from the Israelis, their strongest allies?"
Galina Babayan, a Moscow mathematics professor, offered this assessment: "It would be more appropriate to compare the U.S. not with a global policeman, but with an ill-natured teenager sent back to the first grade. He is bigger and stronger than anybody else. He bullies everyone around him. But he is slow on the uptake."
...
Wang Jisi, a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official, said the American people don't comprehend the world. "They don't travel, and they don't talk to foreigners…. And they don't read any foreign-language materials, so it is not very difficult for people to deceive them, to give them some propaganda [to] inflame ideological and nationalist feelings."
...
"The U.S. can't be the world policeman anymore," said Erika Thiel, standing with her son, Juergen, remembering when U.S. boots echoed through the streets. "Muslims don't want to be watched over, and sovereign nations want to be independent from the U.S. shadow."
...
One of the sharpest differences between the U.S. and its longtime allies is over the issue of when to use force. A June poll conducted in part by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that 54% of the Americans surveyed, compared with 28% of the Europeans, believed that military strength would ensure peace. Among Europeans, 73% said the war in Iraq had increased the threat of terrorism.
The disparity represents two dynamics: The world has yet to understand how Sept. 11, 2001, jolted America's sense of security, and the U.S. has underestimated how much international credibility it sacrificed in the Iraq war.
Analysts suggest that America's foreign policy wouldn't significantly change if Sen. John F. Kerry defeats President Bush in November. The division between the men, as seen by much of the world, comes down to style and personality.
...
... The survey also found that on average, 58% of respondents in those countries said the Bush administration made them feel worse about the U.S. versus 19% who said the president's policies made them feel better.
...
"I believe the U.S. poses a greater risk to Egypt and the Islamic world than terrorism," said Tarek Refaat, a software engineer from Cairo. "If we have to have a global policeman, it should be the United Nations, not the U.S. What good does America do for me as a global policeman? I might need this global policeman to protect me if Egypt is attacked by Israel. And you think America will rush to protect Egypt from the Israelis, their strongest allies?"
Galina Babayan, a Moscow mathematics professor, offered this assessment: "It would be more appropriate to compare the U.S. not with a global policeman, but with an ill-natured teenager sent back to the first grade. He is bigger and stronger than anybody else. He bullies everyone around him. But he is slow on the uptake."
...
Wang Jisi, a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official, said the American people don't comprehend the world. "They don't travel, and they don't talk to foreigners…. And they don't read any foreign-language materials, so it is not very difficult for people to deceive them, to give them some propaganda [to] inflame ideological and nationalist feelings."
...
"The U.S. can't be the world policeman anymore," said Erika Thiel, standing with her son, Juergen, remembering when U.S. boots echoed through the streets. "Muslims don't want to be watched over, and sovereign nations want to be independent from the U.S. shadow."
Pat Robertson Sunday praised Israel as part of God's plan : include Israeli-controlled land in a Palestinian state are part of "Satan's plan."
Haaretz - Israel News: "04/10/2004 22:44 | Robertson: If Bush 'touches' Jerusalem, we'll form 3rd party | By Daphna Berman, Haaretz correspondent, and agencies
Influential American evangelist Pat Robertson said Monday that Evangelical Christians feel so deeply about Jerusalem, that if President George W. Bush were to 'touch' Jerusalem, Evangelicals would abandon their traditional Republican leanings and form a third party.
Evangelical Christians - estimated at tens of millions of Americans - overwhelmingly support Bush for his pro-Israel policies, Robertson told a Jerusalem news conference Monday.
But if Bush shifted his position toward support for Jerusalem as a capital for both Israel and a Palestinian state, his Evangelical backing would disappear, Robertson indicated.
"The President has backed away from [the road map], but if he were to touch Jerusalem, he'd lose all Evangelical support," Robertson said. "Evangelicals would form a third party" because, though people "don't know about" Gaza, Jerusalem is an entirely different matter.
...
Robertson urged that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) be abolished, given what he called the organization's active role in the "perpetuation" of the Palestinian refugee problem. He warned that a Palestinian state would become "a constant source of irritation" that would "endanger the territorial integrity" of Israel.
"A Palestinian state with full sovereignty would be a launching ground for various types of weapons, including weapons of mass destruction," the former presidential candidate said.
...
"I see the rise of Islam to destroy Israel and take the land from the Jews and give East Jerusalem to [Palestinian Authority Chairman] Yasser Arafat. I see that as Satan's plan to prevent the return of Jesus Christ the Lord," said Robertson, a Christian broadcaster.
In two Jerusalem appearances, Robertson Sunday praised Israel as part of God's plan and criticized Arab countries and some Muslims, saying their hopes to include Israeli-controlled land in a Palestinian state are part of "Satan's plan."
Influential American evangelist Pat Robertson said Monday that Evangelical Christians feel so deeply about Jerusalem, that if President George W. Bush were to 'touch' Jerusalem, Evangelicals would abandon their traditional Republican leanings and form a third party.
Evangelical Christians - estimated at tens of millions of Americans - overwhelmingly support Bush for his pro-Israel policies, Robertson told a Jerusalem news conference Monday.
But if Bush shifted his position toward support for Jerusalem as a capital for both Israel and a Palestinian state, his Evangelical backing would disappear, Robertson indicated.
"The President has backed away from [the road map], but if he were to touch Jerusalem, he'd lose all Evangelical support," Robertson said. "Evangelicals would form a third party" because, though people "don't know about" Gaza, Jerusalem is an entirely different matter.
...
Robertson urged that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) be abolished, given what he called the organization's active role in the "perpetuation" of the Palestinian refugee problem. He warned that a Palestinian state would become "a constant source of irritation" that would "endanger the territorial integrity" of Israel.
"A Palestinian state with full sovereignty would be a launching ground for various types of weapons, including weapons of mass destruction," the former presidential candidate said.
...
"I see the rise of Islam to destroy Israel and take the land from the Jews and give East Jerusalem to [Palestinian Authority Chairman] Yasser Arafat. I see that as Satan's plan to prevent the return of Jesus Christ the Lord," said Robertson, a Christian broadcaster.
In two Jerusalem appearances, Robertson Sunday praised Israel as part of God's plan and criticized Arab countries and some Muslims, saying their hopes to include Israeli-controlled land in a Palestinian state are part of "Satan's plan."
September: 80 US dead, 2nd-Deadliest 2004 Month in Iraq
Yahoo! News - Sept. Is 2nd-Deadliest 2004 Month in Iraq: "Mon Oct 4, 1:15 PM ET Middle East - AP | By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON - September was the second-deadliest month of the year for U.S. forces in Iraq (news - web sites) and brought to nearly 500 the number who have died since the insurgency escalated in late March.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) announced Sunday evening that two soldiers died late last week of injuries suffered earlier in the month, and another was killed Sept. 30 by a roadside bomb. That brought the month's death toll to 80, up from 65 in August and equal to the 80 who died in May.
The worst month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq was April when 135 died in a wave of insurgent attacks. Some had hoped the violence would decrease after an interim Iraqi government was given sovereignty June 28, but the death toll has risen steadily since then.
Forty-two U.S. military deaths were recorded in June and 54 in July. ...
WASHINGTON - September was the second-deadliest month of the year for U.S. forces in Iraq (news - web sites) and brought to nearly 500 the number who have died since the insurgency escalated in late March.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) announced Sunday evening that two soldiers died late last week of injuries suffered earlier in the month, and another was killed Sept. 30 by a roadside bomb. That brought the month's death toll to 80, up from 65 in August and equal to the 80 who died in May.
The worst month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq was April when 135 died in a wave of insurgent attacks. Some had hoped the violence would decrease after an interim Iraqi government was given sovereignty June 28, but the death toll has risen steadily since then.
Forty-two U.S. military deaths were recorded in June and 54 in July. ...
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