Telegraph | News | 'Trophy' video exposes private security contractors shooting up Iraqi drivers: "'By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent | (Filed: 27/11/2005)
A 'trophy' video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis.
The video, which first appeared on a website that has been linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services, contained four separate clips, in which security guards open fire with automatic rifles at civilian cars. All of the shooting incidents apparently took place on "route Irish", a road that links the airport to Baghdad.
...
In one of the videoed attacks, a Mercedes is fired on at a distance of several hundred yards before it crashes in to a civilian taxi. In the last clip, a white civilian car is raked with machine gun fire as it approaches an unidentified security company vehicle. Bullets can be seen hitting the vehicle before it comes to a slow stop.
There are no clues as to the shooter but either a Scottish or Irish accent can be heard in at least one of the clips above Elvis Presley's Mystery Train, the music which accompanies the video. ...
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Monday, November 21, 2005
U.S. troops opened fire on a crowded minivan north ...
Excite News: "US army accidentally killed civilians | Nov 21, 8:22 AM (ET) | By Faris al-Mehdawi
BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. troops opened fire on a crowded minivan north of Baghdad on Monday, fearing a car bomb attack, and killed at least three members of the same family, including a child, the U.S. military and survivors said.
The U.S. army's 3rd Infantry Division confirmed the incident, saying its troops had opened fire after first trying to wave the minivan to a stop and then firing warning shots. ...
BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. troops opened fire on a crowded minivan north of Baghdad on Monday, fearing a car bomb attack, and killed at least three members of the same family, including a child, the U.S. military and survivors said.
The U.S. army's 3rd Infantry Division confirmed the incident, saying its troops had opened fire after first trying to wave the minivan to a stop and then firing warning shots. ...
Saturday, November 19, 2005
north of Baghdad: suicide bomber: 36 killed, 5 US dead, about 50 wounded, 120 Iraqi dead in 2 days
Excite News: "Blasts Kill 49 in Iraq; U.S. Troops Killed | Nov 19, 3:52 PM (ET) | By CHRIS TOMLINSON
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A suicide bomber detonated his car in a crowd of Shiite mourners north of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 36 people and raising the death toll in two days of attacks against Shiites to more than 120. Five American soldiers died in roadside bombings.
...
Police said about 50 people were injured. On Oct. 29, a bomb hidden in a truck loaded with dates exploded in another Shiite community in the same area, killing 30 people....
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A suicide bomber detonated his car in a crowd of Shiite mourners north of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 36 people and raising the death toll in two days of attacks against Shiites to more than 120. Five American soldiers died in roadside bombings.
...
Police said about 50 people were injured. On Oct. 29, a bomb hidden in a truck loaded with dates exploded in another Shiite community in the same area, killing 30 people....
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
"I saw cluster bombs everywhere and so many bodies that were burnt, dead with no bullets in them,"
Independent Online Edition > Middle East: "'I treated people who had their skin melted' | By Dahr Jamail | Published: 15 November 2005
...
"They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud," he said. He had seen "pieces of these bombs explode into large fires that continued to burn on the skin even after people dumped water on the burns".
As an unembedded journalist, I spent hours talking to residents forced out of the city. A doctor from Fallujah working in Saqlawiyah, on the outskirts of Fallujah, described treating victims during the siege "who had their skin melted".
He asked to be referred to simply as Dr Ahmed because of fears of reprisals for speaking out. "The people and bodies I have seen were definitely hit by fire weapons and had no other shrapnel wounds," he said.
Burhan Fasa'a, a freelance cameraman working for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), witnessed the first eight days of the fighting. "I saw cluster bombs everywhere and so many bodies that were burnt, dead with no bullets in them," he said. "So they definitely used fire weapons, especially in Jolan district." ...
...
"They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud," he said. He had seen "pieces of these bombs explode into large fires that continued to burn on the skin even after people dumped water on the burns".
As an unembedded journalist, I spent hours talking to residents forced out of the city. A doctor from Fallujah working in Saqlawiyah, on the outskirts of Fallujah, described treating victims during the siege "who had their skin melted".
He asked to be referred to simply as Dr Ahmed because of fears of reprisals for speaking out. "The people and bodies I have seen were definitely hit by fire weapons and had no other shrapnel wounds," he said.
Burhan Fasa'a, a freelance cameraman working for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), witnessed the first eight days of the fighting. "I saw cluster bombs everywhere and so many bodies that were burnt, dead with no bullets in them," he said. "So they definitely used fire weapons, especially in Jolan district." ...
Sunday, November 13, 2005
The destruction of Falluja was an act of barbarism that ranks alongside My Lai, Guernica and Halabja ...
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | A name that lives in infamy: "Mike Marqusee | Thursday November 10, 2005 | The Guardian
The destruction of Falluja was an act of barbarism that ranks alongside My Lai, Guernica and Halabja
One year ago this week, US-led occupying forces launched a devastating assault on the Iraqi city of Falluja. The mood was set by Lt Col Gary Brandl: 'The enemy has got a face. He's called Satan. He's in Falluja. And we're going to destroy him.'
The assault was preceded by eight weeks of aerial bombardment. US troops cut off the city's water, power and food supplies, condemned as a violation of the Geneva convention by a UN special rapporteur, who accused occupying forces of 'using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population'. Two-thirds of the city's 300,000 residents fled, many to squatters' camps without basic facilities.
...
The city's main hospital was selected as the first target, the New York Times reported, "because the US military believed it was the source of rumours about heavy casualties". An AP photographer described US helicopters killing a family of five trying to ford a river to safety. "There were American snipers on top of the hospital shooting everyone," said Burhan Fasa'am, a photographer with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. "With no medical supplies, people died from their wounds. Everyone in the street was a target for the Americans."
The US also deployed incendiary weapons, including white phosphorous. "Usually we keep the gloves on," Captain Erik Krivda said, but "for this operation, we took the gloves off". By the end of operations, the city lay in ruins. Falluja's compensation commissioner has reported that 36,000 of the city's 50,000 homes were destroyed, along with 60 schools and 65 mosques and shrines.
The US claims that 2,000 died, most of them fighters. Other sources disagree. When medical teams arrived in January they collected more than 700 bodies in only one third of the city. Iraqi NGOs and medical workers estimate between 4,000 and 6,000 dead, mostly civilians - a proportionately higher death rate than in Coventry and London during the blitz. ...
The destruction of Falluja was an act of barbarism that ranks alongside My Lai, Guernica and Halabja
One year ago this week, US-led occupying forces launched a devastating assault on the Iraqi city of Falluja. The mood was set by Lt Col Gary Brandl: 'The enemy has got a face. He's called Satan. He's in Falluja. And we're going to destroy him.'
The assault was preceded by eight weeks of aerial bombardment. US troops cut off the city's water, power and food supplies, condemned as a violation of the Geneva convention by a UN special rapporteur, who accused occupying forces of 'using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population'. Two-thirds of the city's 300,000 residents fled, many to squatters' camps without basic facilities.
...
The city's main hospital was selected as the first target, the New York Times reported, "because the US military believed it was the source of rumours about heavy casualties". An AP photographer described US helicopters killing a family of five trying to ford a river to safety. "There were American snipers on top of the hospital shooting everyone," said Burhan Fasa'am, a photographer with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. "With no medical supplies, people died from their wounds. Everyone in the street was a target for the Americans."
The US also deployed incendiary weapons, including white phosphorous. "Usually we keep the gloves on," Captain Erik Krivda said, but "for this operation, we took the gloves off". By the end of operations, the city lay in ruins. Falluja's compensation commissioner has reported that 36,000 of the city's 50,000 homes were destroyed, along with 60 schools and 65 mosques and shrines.
The US claims that 2,000 died, most of them fighters. Other sources disagree. When medical teams arrived in January they collected more than 700 bodies in only one third of the city. Iraqi NGOs and medical workers estimate between 4,000 and 6,000 dead, mostly civilians - a proportionately higher death rate than in Coventry and London during the blitz. ...
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
U.S. military in Iraq denied a report shown on Italian state television on Tuesday saying U.S. forces used incendiary white phosphorus against civilia
My Way News: "US denies using white phosphorus on Iraqi civilians | Nov 8, 3:42 PM (ET) | By Phil Stewart
ROME (Reuters) - The U.S. military in Iraq denied a report shown on Italian state television on Tuesday saying U.S. forces used incendiary white phosphorus against civilians in a November 2004 offensive on the Iraqi town of Falluja.
It confirmed, however, that U.S. forces had dropped MK 77 firebombs -- which a documentary on Italian state-run broadcaster RAI compared to napalm -- against military targets in Iraq in March and April 2003.
The documentary showed images of bodies recovered after a November 2004 offensive by U.S. troops on the town of Falluja, which it said proved the use of white phosphorus against men, women and children who were burned to the bone.
'I do know that white phosphorus was used,' said Jeff Englehart in the RAI documentary, which identified him as a former soldier in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division in Iraq.
'Burned bodies. Burned children and burned women,' said Englehart, who RAI said had taken part in the Falluja offensive. 'White phosphorus kills indiscriminately.'
The U.S. Marines in Baghdad described white phosphorus as a 'conventional munition' used primarily for smoke screens and target marking. It denied using it against civilians.
'Suggestions that U.S. forces targeted civilians with these weapons are simply wrong,' U.S. Marine Major Tim Keefe said in an e-mail to Reuters." ...
ROME (Reuters) - The U.S. military in Iraq denied a report shown on Italian state television on Tuesday saying U.S. forces used incendiary white phosphorus against civilians in a November 2004 offensive on the Iraqi town of Falluja.
It confirmed, however, that U.S. forces had dropped MK 77 firebombs -- which a documentary on Italian state-run broadcaster RAI compared to napalm -- against military targets in Iraq in March and April 2003.
The documentary showed images of bodies recovered after a November 2004 offensive by U.S. troops on the town of Falluja, which it said proved the use of white phosphorus against men, women and children who were burned to the bone.
'I do know that white phosphorus was used,' said Jeff Englehart in the RAI documentary, which identified him as a former soldier in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division in Iraq.
'Burned bodies. Burned children and burned women,' said Englehart, who RAI said had taken part in the Falluja offensive. 'White phosphorus kills indiscriminately.'
The U.S. Marines in Baghdad described white phosphorus as a 'conventional munition' used primarily for smoke screens and target marking. It denied using it against civilians.
'Suggestions that U.S. forces targeted civilians with these weapons are simply wrong,' U.S. Marine Major Tim Keefe said in an e-mail to Reuters." ...
Monday, October 31, 2005
Seven More U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq - Capping the bloodiest month for American troops since January
Seven More U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq - Yahoo! News: "By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Capping the bloodiest month for American troops since January, the U.S. military reported Monday that seven more U.S. service members were killed — all victims of increasingly sophisticated bombs that have been become the deadliest weapon in the insurgents' arsenal.
Bombs also claimed a toll Monday among civilians in Basra,
Iraq's second-largest city and the major metropolis of the Shiite-dominated south, which has witnessed less violence than Sunni areas. A large car bomb exploded along a bustling street packed with shops and restaurants as people were enjoying an evening out after the daily Ramadan fast. At least 20 were killed and about 40 wounded, police Lt. Col. Karim al-Zaidi said. ...
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Capping the bloodiest month for American troops since January, the U.S. military reported Monday that seven more U.S. service members were killed — all victims of increasingly sophisticated bombs that have been become the deadliest weapon in the insurgents' arsenal.
Bombs also claimed a toll Monday among civilians in Basra,
Iraq's second-largest city and the major metropolis of the Shiite-dominated south, which has witnessed less violence than Sunni areas. A large car bomb exploded along a bustling street packed with shops and restaurants as people were enjoying an evening out after the daily Ramadan fast. At least 20 were killed and about 40 wounded, police Lt. Col. Karim al-Zaidi said. ...
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Pentagon admits a breathtaking 250,000 tons of heavy ordnance were allowed to be looted by our undermanned army in the 4-30 weeks after invasion
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION: "Looted Hopes in Iraq | by Michael Hammerschlag | http://www.opednews.com
There has been much commotion over the lack of armor on Iraq vehicles and vests, but that’s always been a trade-off: if you reinforce a HUMV enough to survive an RPG strike, you may make it too heavy to accelerate enough to avoid getting hit, and full body armor suits are great, except when 120� temperatures causes heat prostration. As our death toll passes 2000, the far more egregious outrage is why these hundreds of thousands of tons of ordnance were allowed to be looted by insurgents in the first place. (see photo)
The Pentagon admits a breathtaking 250,000 tons of heavy ordnance (out of 650,000 tons total): aircraft bombs, artillery and tank shells, mines, rockets were allowed to be looted by our undermanned army in the 4-30 weeks after invasion through gross negligence at the top- equivalent to 1 million 500 lb bombs. At ten 500 lb. roadside mines or market closeouts a day, that's enough for 274 years of attacks."
There has been much commotion over the lack of armor on Iraq vehicles and vests, but that’s always been a trade-off: if you reinforce a HUMV enough to survive an RPG strike, you may make it too heavy to accelerate enough to avoid getting hit, and full body armor suits are great, except when 120� temperatures causes heat prostration. As our death toll passes 2000, the far more egregious outrage is why these hundreds of thousands of tons of ordnance were allowed to be looted by insurgents in the first place. (see photo)
The Pentagon admits a breathtaking 250,000 tons of heavy ordnance (out of 650,000 tons total): aircraft bombs, artillery and tank shells, mines, rockets were allowed to be looted by our undermanned army in the 4-30 weeks after invasion through gross negligence at the top- equivalent to 1 million 500 lb bombs. At ten 500 lb. roadside mines or market closeouts a day, that's enough for 274 years of attacks."
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Spanish judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel
CBS4 Boston - New England's Source For Breaking News, Weather, and Sports for Boston, Worcester, Cape Cod, Nashua, and More: World Wire: "Spanish judge issues arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers over journalist's death
Wednesday October 19, 2005
MADRID, Spain (AP) A judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel during the Iraq war, killing a Spanish journalist and one other, a court official said Wednesday.
Judge Santiago Pedraz issued the warrant for Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, all from the U.S. 3rd Infantry.
Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after a U.S. army tank crew fired a shell on Hotel Palestine in Baghdad where several journalists were staying to cover the war.
Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, also was killed.
The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case." ...
Wednesday October 19, 2005
MADRID, Spain (AP) A judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel during the Iraq war, killing a Spanish journalist and one other, a court official said Wednesday.
Judge Santiago Pedraz issued the warrant for Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, all from the U.S. 3rd Infantry.
Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after a U.S. army tank crew fired a shell on Hotel Palestine in Baghdad where several journalists were staying to cover the war.
Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, also was killed.
The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case." ...
Monday, October 17, 2005
Dozens of Iraqis die in US air strikes
Aljazeera.Net - Dozens of Iraqis die in US air strikes: "Dozens of Iraqis die in US air strikes
Monday 17 October 2005, 14:40 Makka Time, 11:40 GMT
...
US warplanes and helicopters have bombed two villages near the city of Ramadi where witnesses say at least 39 civilians have been killed, while the US army says the air strike has killed an estimated 70 fighters.
On Sunday, a group of about two dozen Iraqis gathered around the wreckage of a US vehicle destroyed the previous day by a roadside bomb. The people were hit by the US air strikes, the military and witnesses said.
The air strike hit the crowd which had gathered around to look at the wreckage of the vehicle and to pick pieces off it - as often occurs after an American vehicle is hit. The vehicle was destroyed on election day.
Chiad Saad, a tribal leader, and several witnesses who refused to give their names to protect their security, said 25 civilians were killed in the attack.
Basim al-Dulaimi, a doctor at Ramadi hospital, said he had received 25 dead and eight wounded and said relatives had told him the victims had been hit in aerial bombardments. ...
Monday 17 October 2005, 14:40 Makka Time, 11:40 GMT
...
US warplanes and helicopters have bombed two villages near the city of Ramadi where witnesses say at least 39 civilians have been killed, while the US army says the air strike has killed an estimated 70 fighters.
On Sunday, a group of about two dozen Iraqis gathered around the wreckage of a US vehicle destroyed the previous day by a roadside bomb. The people were hit by the US air strikes, the military and witnesses said.
The air strike hit the crowd which had gathered around to look at the wreckage of the vehicle and to pick pieces off it - as often occurs after an American vehicle is hit. The vehicle was destroyed on election day.
Chiad Saad, a tribal leader, and several witnesses who refused to give their names to protect their security, said 25 civilians were killed in the attack.
Basim al-Dulaimi, a doctor at Ramadi hospital, said he had received 25 dead and eight wounded and said relatives had told him the victims had been hit in aerial bombardments. ...
Friday, October 14, 2005
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week - by News
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week - by News: "October 14, 2005
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week ... Including one who died of wounds received in July
Today the Department of Defense announced the death of a Marine supporting the war in Iraq. Kenneth E. Hunt Jr., 40, died of wounds recieved in July 'when the vehicle he was riding in struck an anti-tank mine while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Taqaddum, Iraq.' This death bring the total American combat deaths from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' to 1574 and total deaths to 1967. Over just the last week, 22 US troops have been killed in operations in Iraq. Below are just a few reports of these deaths:"
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week ... Including one who died of wounds received in July
Today the Department of Defense announced the death of a Marine supporting the war in Iraq. Kenneth E. Hunt Jr., 40, died of wounds recieved in July 'when the vehicle he was riding in struck an anti-tank mine while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Taqaddum, Iraq.' This death bring the total American combat deaths from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' to 1574 and total deaths to 1967. Over just the last week, 22 US troops have been killed in operations in Iraq. Below are just a few reports of these deaths:"
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
perhaps inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi civilian population, primarily women and children [... now we import bullets to keep up]
The Cakewalk War: "The Cakewalk War | By Paul Craig Roberts
09/20/05 'ICH' -- -- The 'cakewalk war' is now two and one-half years old. US casualties (dead and wounded) number 20,000. As 20,000 is the number of Iraqi insurgents according to US military commanders, each insurgent is responsible for one US casualty.
US troops in Iraq number about 150,000. Obviously, US troops have not inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi insurgents. US troops have perhaps inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi civilian population, primarily women and children who are the 'collateral damage' of the 'righteous' and 'virtuous' US invasion that is spreading civilian deaths all over Mesopotamia in the name of democracy.
What could the US have possibly done to give America a worse name than to invade Iraq and murder its citizens?
According to the September 1 Manufacturing & Technology News, the Government Accounting Office has reported that over the course of the cakewalk war, the US military’s use of small caliber ammunition has risen to 1.8 billion rounds. Think about that number. If there are 20,000 insurgents, it means US troops have fired 90,000 rounds at each insurgent.
Very few have been hit. We don’t know how many. To avoid the analogy with Vietnam, until last week the US military studiously avoided body counts. If 2,000 insurgents have been killed, each death required 900,000 rounds of ammunition.
The combination of US government owned ammo plants and those of US commercial producers together cannot make bullets as fast as US troops are firing them. The Bush administration has had to turn to foreign producers such as Israel Military Industries. Think about that. Hollowed out US industry cannot produce enough ammunition to defeat a 20,000 man insurgency."
09/20/05 'ICH' -- -- The 'cakewalk war' is now two and one-half years old. US casualties (dead and wounded) number 20,000. As 20,000 is the number of Iraqi insurgents according to US military commanders, each insurgent is responsible for one US casualty.
US troops in Iraq number about 150,000. Obviously, US troops have not inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi insurgents. US troops have perhaps inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi civilian population, primarily women and children who are the 'collateral damage' of the 'righteous' and 'virtuous' US invasion that is spreading civilian deaths all over Mesopotamia in the name of democracy.
What could the US have possibly done to give America a worse name than to invade Iraq and murder its citizens?
According to the September 1 Manufacturing & Technology News, the Government Accounting Office has reported that over the course of the cakewalk war, the US military’s use of small caliber ammunition has risen to 1.8 billion rounds. Think about that number. If there are 20,000 insurgents, it means US troops have fired 90,000 rounds at each insurgent.
Very few have been hit. We don’t know how many. To avoid the analogy with Vietnam, until last week the US military studiously avoided body counts. If 2,000 insurgents have been killed, each death required 900,000 rounds of ammunition.
The combination of US government owned ammo plants and those of US commercial producers together cannot make bullets as fast as US troops are firing them. The Bush administration has had to turn to foreign producers such as Israel Military Industries. Think about that. Hollowed out US industry cannot produce enough ammunition to defeat a 20,000 man insurgency."
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Iraq: [if any are proven] agents of the Crusaders: 152 people and wounded 542
Al-Qaida in Iraq declares all-out war - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com: "Following attacks that killed over 150, al-Zarqawi announces war intentions | MSNBC News Services | Updated: 7:48 p.m. ET Sept. 14, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq - After a dozen explosions ripped through the Iraqi capital Wednesday, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq purportedly declared all out war on Shiite Muslims, Iraqi troops and the country's government in an audio tape released on Internet.
Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attacks, which killed at least 152 people and wounded 542, targeted at laborers assembled to find work for the day.
The bloodiest attack killed at least 88 people and wounded 227 in the heavily Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah where the day laborers had gathered shortly after dawn.
...
The speaker on the released audio tape, introduced as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, also said his militant forces would attack any Iraqi it believes has cooperated with an ongoing U.S.-led offensive in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar.
"If proven that any of (Iraq's) national guards, police or army are agents of the Crusaders, they will be killed and his house will demolished or burnt — after evacuating all women and children — as a punishment," the voice said in the new tape, which surfaced on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamist content. ...
BAGHDAD, Iraq - After a dozen explosions ripped through the Iraqi capital Wednesday, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq purportedly declared all out war on Shiite Muslims, Iraqi troops and the country's government in an audio tape released on Internet.
Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attacks, which killed at least 152 people and wounded 542, targeted at laborers assembled to find work for the day.
The bloodiest attack killed at least 88 people and wounded 227 in the heavily Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah where the day laborers had gathered shortly after dawn.
...
The speaker on the released audio tape, introduced as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, also said his militant forces would attack any Iraqi it believes has cooperated with an ongoing U.S.-led offensive in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar.
"If proven that any of (Iraq's) national guards, police or army are agents of the Crusaders, they will be killed and his house will demolished or burnt — after evacuating all women and children — as a punishment," the voice said in the new tape, which surfaced on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamist content. ...
Saturday, September 03, 2005
“100,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq: A Story of Media Spin,” ... inclusion of Falluja would certainly put the Iraqi death toll well above 100,000.
"Media Spin" on Civilian Iraqi Deaths: "'His Study Shows Numbers Have Increased Dramatically Since U.S. Invasion of Iraq | By Sarah Lozo | 09/02/05 'ICH'
Johns Hopkins University professor Les Roberts addressed the Hamilton community in a talk titled, “100,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq: A Story of Media Spin,” on Thursday, Sept. 1. Roberts, an associate professor at Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Relations, presented the under-published and often misrepresented findings of a study that he conducted along with other researchers from Hopkins and Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad.
The results of Roberts’s study indicate that Iraqi civilian deaths have risen drastically since the United States invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In the 14 months prior to the invasion, 46 deaths occurred in about 1,000 households surveyed, compared to 142 after the invasion; Iraqis, he said, were 2.5 times more likely to die after the war began. Whereas most deaths before the invasion were attributable to heart attacks, strokes, and other ailments, most deaths after it were the result of violence. Moreover, Roberts reported that the coalition was responsible for 84% of these violent deaths.
Relating these numbers to the general Iraqi population, researchers estimated that, if the city of Falluja is left out of calculations, there is a 50% chance that the death toll is below 100,000, and a 50% chance that it is above 100,000. The inclusion of Falluja, according to Roberts, would certainly put the Iraqi death toll well above 100,000. In contrast, Roberts said, most news sources report and most American people believe that the death toll is less than half of this number."
Roberts noted that this discrepancy is based on the American media’s efforts to downplay Iraqi deaths. In Europe, Roberts reported, the findings of this study made the front pages of most major newspapers; in comparison, the study’s results appeared on page A8 of the New York Times and on page 12 of the Washington Post. European news sources provided in-depth analysis and substantial details of the study, while U.S. media coverage was only moderate. Moreover, the study’s publication in the U.S. provoked an outpouring of spin articles that led the American public to disregard the study as invalid.
Johns Hopkins University professor Les Roberts addressed the Hamilton community in a talk titled, “100,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq: A Story of Media Spin,” on Thursday, Sept. 1. Roberts, an associate professor at Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Relations, presented the under-published and often misrepresented findings of a study that he conducted along with other researchers from Hopkins and Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad.
The results of Roberts’s study indicate that Iraqi civilian deaths have risen drastically since the United States invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In the 14 months prior to the invasion, 46 deaths occurred in about 1,000 households surveyed, compared to 142 after the invasion; Iraqis, he said, were 2.5 times more likely to die after the war began. Whereas most deaths before the invasion were attributable to heart attacks, strokes, and other ailments, most deaths after it were the result of violence. Moreover, Roberts reported that the coalition was responsible for 84% of these violent deaths.
Relating these numbers to the general Iraqi population, researchers estimated that, if the city of Falluja is left out of calculations, there is a 50% chance that the death toll is below 100,000, and a 50% chance that it is above 100,000. The inclusion of Falluja, according to Roberts, would certainly put the Iraqi death toll well above 100,000. In contrast, Roberts said, most news sources report and most American people believe that the death toll is less than half of this number."
Roberts noted that this discrepancy is based on the American media’s efforts to downplay Iraqi deaths. In Europe, Roberts reported, the findings of this study made the front pages of most major newspapers; in comparison, the study’s results appeared on page A8 of the New York Times and on page 12 of the Washington Post. European news sources provided in-depth analysis and substantial details of the study, while U.S. media coverage was only moderate. Moreover, the study’s publication in the U.S. provoked an outpouring of spin articles that led the American public to disregard the study as invalid.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
816 people were crushed to death or drowned today in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge triggered by fears [of] a suicide bomber
outlookindia.com | wired: "816 killed in Baghdad bridge stampede | BAGHDAD, AUG 31 (AFP)
At least 816 people were crushed to death or drowned today in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge triggered by fears a suicide bomber was among vast crowds of Shiite pilgrims massed for a religious ceremony.
Iraq authorities said the tragedy, which unfolded after a deadly mortar attack on a Shiite shrine, was a 'terrorist' act by toppled dictator Saddam Hussein's loyalists and Al-Qaeda frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zaqrqawi.
A security official said 816 were killed and 323 injured in the crush of panicked pilgrims, adding: 'We are still recovering bodies from the river.'"
At least 816 people were crushed to death or drowned today in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge triggered by fears a suicide bomber was among vast crowds of Shiite pilgrims massed for a religious ceremony.
Iraq authorities said the tragedy, which unfolded after a deadly mortar attack on a Shiite shrine, was a 'terrorist' act by toppled dictator Saddam Hussein's loyalists and Al-Qaeda frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zaqrqawi.
A security official said 816 were killed and 323 injured in the crush of panicked pilgrims, adding: 'We are still recovering bodies from the river.'"
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
US air strike early on Tuesday near the Iraqi western town of Qaim killed 56 civilians, said an Interior Ministry source.
Xinhua - English: "56 civilians killed in US air strike west of Baghdad | www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-30 21:25:17
BAGHDAD, Aug. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The US air strike early on Tuesday near the Iraqi western town of Qaim killed 56 civilians, said an Interior Ministry source.
'We have information that the US aircraft pounded areas near the town of Qaim near the Syrian border, destroying four houses and killing a total of 56 people,' the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Sixteen people were killed in one of the houses, which was leveled in the attack, he said, adding 40 others were killed in a second house, where three families gathered.
Only two boys aged eight and ten survived in the second house, he added.
A US military spokesman said that its aircraft shelled suspectedal-Qaida hideouts near Qaim, killing several militants, including Abu Islam.
'There was a total of three strikes targeting terrorist safe houses and Abu Islam and several of his associates were killed,' said the spokesman in Baghdad.
Earlier, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite television reported that the US aircraft carried out strikes on villages near Qaim, killing more than 40 people and wounding dozens."
BAGHDAD, Aug. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The US air strike early on Tuesday near the Iraqi western town of Qaim killed 56 civilians, said an Interior Ministry source.
'We have information that the US aircraft pounded areas near the town of Qaim near the Syrian border, destroying four houses and killing a total of 56 people,' the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Sixteen people were killed in one of the houses, which was leveled in the attack, he said, adding 40 others were killed in a second house, where three families gathered.
Only two boys aged eight and ten survived in the second house, he added.
A US military spokesman said that its aircraft shelled suspectedal-Qaida hideouts near Qaim, killing several militants, including Abu Islam.
'There was a total of three strikes targeting terrorist safe houses and Abu Islam and several of his associates were killed,' said the spokesman in Baghdad.
Earlier, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite television reported that the US aircraft carried out strikes on villages near Qaim, killing more than 40 people and wounding dozens."
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Another Reuters Staffer Killed by U.S. Forces in Iraq: "They treated us like dogs. ... They made us [wounded] sit in the sun on the road"
Another Reuters Staffer Killed by U.S. Forces in Iraq: "Published: August 28, 2005 2:25 PM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) A Reuters Television soundman was shot dead in Baghdad on Sunday and a cameraman with him was wounded and then detained by U.S. soldiers. Iraqi police said they had been shot by U.S. forces. A U.S. military spokesman said the incident was being investigated.
Waleed Khaled, 35, was hit by a shot to the face and at least four to the chest as he drove to check a report from
police sources of an incident involving police and gunmen in the Hay al-Adil district, in the west of the city.
...
"I heard shooting, looked up and saw an American sniper on the roof of the shopping centre," cameraman Kadhem, who was
wounded in the back, told colleagues who arrived at the scene.
The only known eyewitness, he was later detained by U.S. troops and was still in custody six hours later despite Reuters' requests that he be freed to receive medical attention. His precise whereabouts were not clear.
Two Iraqi colleagues who arrived on the scene minutes after the shooting were also briefly detained, then released.
"They treated us like dogs. They made us ... including Khaled who was wounded and asking for water, sit in the sun on the road," Reuters Television soundman Mohammed Idriss said.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) A Reuters Television soundman was shot dead in Baghdad on Sunday and a cameraman with him was wounded and then detained by U.S. soldiers. Iraqi police said they had been shot by U.S. forces. A U.S. military spokesman said the incident was being investigated.
Waleed Khaled, 35, was hit by a shot to the face and at least four to the chest as he drove to check a report from
police sources of an incident involving police and gunmen in the Hay al-Adil district, in the west of the city.
...
"I heard shooting, looked up and saw an American sniper on the roof of the shopping centre," cameraman Kadhem, who was
wounded in the back, told colleagues who arrived at the scene.
The only known eyewitness, he was later detained by U.S. troops and was still in custody six hours later despite Reuters' requests that he be freed to receive medical attention. His precise whereabouts were not clear.
Two Iraqi colleagues who arrived on the scene minutes after the shooting were also briefly detained, then released.
"They treated us like dogs. They made us ... including Khaled who was wounded and asking for water, sit in the sun on the road," Reuters Television soundman Mohammed Idriss said.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Kurds pave way for Iraq charter approval, 35 dead in attacks
Kurds pave way for Iraq charter approval, 35 dead in attacks - Yahoo! News: "Wed Aug 24, 1:57 PM ET
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Efforts to push through war-torn Iraq's constitution received a boost after the autonomous Kurdistan parliament approved the charter even as Sunni Arabs kept up their opposition.
As political events unfolded, at least 35 people were killed in rebel attacks across central and northern Iraq."
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Efforts to push through war-torn Iraq's constitution received a boost after the autonomous Kurdistan parliament approved the charter even as Sunni Arabs kept up their opposition.
As political events unfolded, at least 35 people were killed in rebel attacks across central and northern Iraq."
Gunfights erupt in Iraqi capital: 17 dead, 53 wounded
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Gunfights erupt in Iraqi capital: "
At least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured as gun battles erupted in the Iraqi capital following a suicide car bomb attack on police.
After the bomber struck, up to 40 masked gunman opened fire with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.
Three police officers were among the dead in Baghdad and at least 53 people were injured, police told the BBC."
At least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured as gun battles erupted in the Iraqi capital following a suicide car bomb attack on police.
After the bomber struck, up to 40 masked gunman opened fire with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.
Three police officers were among the dead in Baghdad and at least 53 people were injured, police told the BBC."
Thursday, August 18, 2005
July was the bloodiest month in Baghdad's modern history: 1,100 bodies -- executed for the most part, eviscerated, stabbed, bludgeoned, tortured
Independent Online Edition > Robert Fisk : app4: "Secrets of the morgue: Baghdad's body count By Robert Fisk | Published: 17 August 2005
Bodies of 1,100 civilians brought to mortuary in July
Pre-invasion, July figure was typically less than 200
Last Sunday alone, the mortuary received 36 bodies
Up to 20 per cent of the bodies are never identified
Many of the dead have been tortured or disfigured
The Baghdad morgue is a fearful place of heat and stench and mourning, the cries of relatives echoing down the narrow, foetid laneway behind the pale-yellow brick medical centre where the authorities keep their computerised records. So many corpses are being brought to the mortuary that human remains are stacked on top of each other. Unidentified bodies must be buried within days for lack of space - but the municipality is so overwhelmed by the number of killings that it can no longer provide the vehicles and personnel to take the remains to cemeteries.
July was the bloodiest month in Baghdad's modern history - in all, 1,100 bodies were brought to the city's mortuary; executed for the most part, eviscerated, stabbed, bludgeoned, tortured to death. The figure is secret."
Bodies of 1,100 civilians brought to mortuary in July
Pre-invasion, July figure was typically less than 200
Last Sunday alone, the mortuary received 36 bodies
Up to 20 per cent of the bodies are never identified
Many of the dead have been tortured or disfigured
The Baghdad morgue is a fearful place of heat and stench and mourning, the cries of relatives echoing down the narrow, foetid laneway behind the pale-yellow brick medical centre where the authorities keep their computerised records. So many corpses are being brought to the mortuary that human remains are stacked on top of each other. Unidentified bodies must be buried within days for lack of space - but the municipality is so overwhelmed by the number of killings that it can no longer provide the vehicles and personnel to take the remains to cemeteries.
July was the bloodiest month in Baghdad's modern history - in all, 1,100 bodies were brought to the city's mortuary; executed for the most part, eviscerated, stabbed, bludgeoned, tortured to death. The figure is secret."
22 US soldiers were killed last week in Iraq, bringing the total to 1,853 dead and 13,877 wounded.
Santa Monica Mirror: "22 Soldiers Died Last Week in Iraq | August 17 - 23, 2005
22 US soldiers were killed last week in Iraq, bringing the total to 1,853 dead and 13,877 wounded."
22 US soldiers were killed last week in Iraq, bringing the total to 1,853 dead and 13,877 wounded."
Sunday, August 14, 2005
As of Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005, at least 1,853 military dead
A Daily Look at Military Deaths in Iraq - Yahoo! News: "By The Associated Press Sun Aug 14, 5:42 PM ET
As of Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005, at least 1,853 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,431 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.
As of Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005, at least 1,853 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,431 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.
Iraqis say 15 dead [and 17 wounded] after military shooting -- but U.S. denies
International news from swissinfo, the Swiss news platform: "August 13, 2005 12:20 PM
RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - An attack on a U.S. military patrol followed by U.S. gunfire left 15 Iraqis dead and 17 wounded in a town west of Baghdad, residents said on Saturday, but the U.S. military said it was not responsible.
Residents of Nasaf, a town just outside the city of Ramadi, said a roadside bomb exploded next to a U.S. armoured patrol as it passed near the Ibn al-Jawzi mosque shortly after prayers on Friday.
They said U.S. troops opened fire immediately after the explosion, shooting towards people emerging from the mosque.
Munem Aftan, the director of Ramadi General Hospital, said 15 people were killed, including eight children, and 17 wounded.
Pools of blood lay on the steps outside the mosque, and bullet holes marked its walls.
But the U.S. military said its troops had not been involved in any firing in the area.
"U.S. forces were not involved in any shooting incident in eastern Ramadi or anywhere near a mosque," Captain Jeffrey Pool, a spokesman for the Marines in Ramadi, said in an e-mail reply to written questions. ...
RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - An attack on a U.S. military patrol followed by U.S. gunfire left 15 Iraqis dead and 17 wounded in a town west of Baghdad, residents said on Saturday, but the U.S. military said it was not responsible.
Residents of Nasaf, a town just outside the city of Ramadi, said a roadside bomb exploded next to a U.S. armoured patrol as it passed near the Ibn al-Jawzi mosque shortly after prayers on Friday.
They said U.S. troops opened fire immediately after the explosion, shooting towards people emerging from the mosque.
Munem Aftan, the director of Ramadi General Hospital, said 15 people were killed, including eight children, and 17 wounded.
Pools of blood lay on the steps outside the mosque, and bullet holes marked its walls.
But the U.S. military said its troops had not been involved in any firing in the area.
"U.S. forces were not involved in any shooting incident in eastern Ramadi or anywhere near a mosque," Captain Jeffrey Pool, a spokesman for the Marines in Ramadi, said in an e-mail reply to written questions. ...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Excite News
Excite News: "Seven Marines killed in Iraq, toll passes 1,800 | Aug 2, 2:38 PM (ET) | By Michael Georgy
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Seven American Marines have been killed in fighting in Iraq's western Anbar province, the guerrilla heartland which keeps challenging U.S. and Iraqi troops despite repeated security crackdowns.
...
The attacks push the number of U.S. troops to have died since the start of the war in March 2003 to above 1,800, according to a Reuters count based on information provided by the Pentagon. ...
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Seven American Marines have been killed in fighting in Iraq's western Anbar province, the guerrilla heartland which keeps challenging U.S. and Iraqi troops despite repeated security crackdowns.
...
The attacks push the number of U.S. troops to have died since the start of the war in March 2003 to above 1,800, according to a Reuters count based on information provided by the Pentagon. ...
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Survivors of a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi army recruits were shot and wounded immediately afterward when U.S. and Iraqi soldiers opened fire
bakersfield.com | World: "Officials: Blast survivors hit by gunfire | By SINBAD AHMED, Associated Press Writer | Posted: Saturday July 30th, 2005, 1:48 PM | Last Updated: Sunday July 31st, 2005, 7:11 AM
RABIAH, Iraq (AP) - Some survivors of a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi army recruits were shot and wounded immediately afterward when U.S. and Iraqi soldiers opened fire at the scene, police, doctors and witnesses said Saturday.
The bomber wandered into a crowd of Iraqis waiting Friday to enlist in the army and detonated his explosives, said police and witnesses to the attack in this northern town near the Syrian border. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility in a statement posted on the Internet.
After the blast, U.S. and Iraqi troops opened fire believing they were under attack, Rabiah's police chief, Col. Yahya al-Shammari, told The Associated Press.
He said some of the army recruits were killed by the gunfire, although it was unclear how many because dead and wounded were taken to several hospitals across a wide area of northern Iraq.
He said the death toll from the suicide attack had risen to 52 dead and 93 injured by late Saturday.
RABIAH, Iraq (AP) - Some survivors of a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi army recruits were shot and wounded immediately afterward when U.S. and Iraqi soldiers opened fire at the scene, police, doctors and witnesses said Saturday.
The bomber wandered into a crowd of Iraqis waiting Friday to enlist in the army and detonated his explosives, said police and witnesses to the attack in this northern town near the Syrian border. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility in a statement posted on the Internet.
After the blast, U.S. and Iraqi troops opened fire believing they were under attack, Rabiah's police chief, Col. Yahya al-Shammari, told The Associated Press.
He said some of the army recruits were killed by the gunfire, although it was unclear how many because dead and wounded were taken to several hospitals across a wide area of northern Iraq.
He said the death toll from the suicide attack had risen to 52 dead and 93 injured by late Saturday.
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