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Seven Civilians Killed in US-Iraqi Raid
FALLUJAH, Iraq - Seven civilians were among 18 people killed in Iraq on Wednesday, shot dead as US and Iraqi troops tried to nab a top Al-Qaeda leader in Fallujah, sparking public anger in the former rebel base.
A US attack helicopter flies overhead as an Iraqi policeman walks during a joint operation with Iraqi security forces on the first day after America ended its combat role, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 in Hawija, north of Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Two Iraqi soldiers were also killed in the firefight west of Baghdad, while a roadside bomb in northern Iraq claimed the lives of nine other troops travelling home on leave.
The latest violence comes two weeks after Washington declared an official end to combat operations here, and with no new government having formed since elections in March.
The early morning shootout in Fallujah -- long a base for Sunni Arab rebels who waged attacks against US forces and the Iraqi government -- left nine people dead overall.
Major General Baha Hussein al-Karkhi, police chief for Anbar province, where Fallujah is located, said "a joint force from Baghdad was ordered to raid a terrorist's house in Jbeil (central Fallujah).
And Major Rob Phillips, a US Army press officer, said the raid had been conducted to catch a "senior AQI (Al-Qaeda in Iraq) leader." He could not say whether the individual targeted had been killed, captured or had escaped.
Karkhi said seven civilians were killed and four wounded, and that two Iraqi soldiers also died.
Others sources gave different tolls.
Phillips said six people were killed, while Fallujah police director Brigadier General Faisal al-Essawi and the city's media chief Mohammed Fathi put the death toll at eight civilians.
Essawi said of the eight killed were two women and two children, while the other four included a former colonel in the Iraqi army during the rule of now executed dictator Saddam Hussein.
The raid sparked public anger in Fallujah, with the municipal council labelling it a "provocation".
"This brutal operation is an act of provocation against the population of Fallujah and the city's security forces," said a statement issued by the council and read out by council member Ahmed al-Dulaimi.
It called for an investigation into the shootings, and declared three days of mourning.
A vehicle ban was imposed on Fallujah, and the area that was raided was cordoned off by security forces.
A US Army press officer, Major Bryan Woods, said an inquiry would be started into the shootings.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the main northern city of Mosul, nine Iraqi soldiers were killed when the minibus they were travelling in was struck by a roadside bomb. Another six were wounded, a police official said.
All were members of the Iraqi Third Division and were headed home on leave.
Mosul and surrounding Nineveh province remain among the most violent areas of Iraq, even as attacks in the rest of the country have dropped off after peaking in 2006 and 2007 during a brutal sectarian war.
US forces said combat operations in Iraq had concluded at the end of August but nearly 50,000 soldiers remain in the country with a mission to train Iraqi soldiers and police, and conduct joint counter-terror operations.
They are also allowed to fire in self-defence.
Since the September 1 declaration, US troops have shot at insurgents in Baghdad and restive Diyala province, north of the capital, and two American soldiers were killed by an Iraqi comrade after a row on an Iraqi base.
Violence appears to have risen again in recent months, with July and August recording two of the highest monthly death tolls since 2008, according to Iraqi government figures.
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35 Comments so far
Show AllThe truth is that the majority of American "liberals" support Muslim-killing for their resources. They also think that the "Israelis" are "chosen" people who should take over Palestine because Hitler was killing them for trying to take over Germany.
No, "liberal Democrats" don't believe that the war in Iraq is all over and that is NOT what the White House said anyway. Get your facts straight.
The man said "combat operations have ended". Killing innocent people in the pursuit of someone who is not even charged with anything, much less convicted, is combat. Well, actually, it's a war crime.
If I have heard it once , I have heard a dozen times,
" nuke the bastards, turn the middle east into a sheet of glass"
When you hear a statement like this , you are talking to an insane person, walk away.
They dont hear a word you say, they have made up their minds,its an absolute conclusion.
Thats the kind of person that would shoot you to win his argument.
We are an empire , invade, occupy and hold. Thats what we are doing, there will be conflict until the the folks we occupy accept their new king,chase us out, or die.
Simple.
Of course , we could leave, if enough Americans would protest everyday, or just refuse to pay our taxes.
oooops, thats why they take the money every two week from our pay checks, so we cant cut of the source of there power.
We cant just say, you can not have my money for war.
Richard M Obombus' Iraqiztion is 'working out just as well' as did Barakus Nixon's Vietnamization, back in the 1970x.
Maybe I got the names wrong, as I just get the two so confused with all their double talk and hot air
AD
War Crime Team A:
Powell, Rice, Cheney, Yoo, Rumsfeld, Bush.
War Crime Team B:
Clinton, Gates, Biden, Obama, Pelosi, Reid.
Ah, war criminals you can believe in...
Now war crimes are "groovy" because we have a robotic drone Murder King in the Oval Office.
World's # 1 terrorist nation just keeps on killing ! The deadly lies just keep coming out of washington ! It IS bringing the collapse of the fascist amerikan empire all the sooner !
When GWBush was in office war was war and torture was torture.
Obama is in office and war, renditions, etc. is "cleaning up after Bush" and everything can't be done about these wars now because he (Obama) doesn't have "a magic wand."
When Bush was in office we had a "failing broken health care system."
Under Obama we have the goverment the will be forcing us to buy defective products from the health insurance cartel and we have no caps on drug prices or the right to opt into MEDICARE for all who want in. But Democrats say whilst this is not a "perfect" plan, it is "baby steps" in the right direction to improvement of the US health care system.
Stupid bunch of fuckers.
The United States continues to stupidly pour more kerosene onto the fire when they keep killing innocent women and children. Just another reason why the freedom fighters in Afghanistan will continue to attract recruits in order to do battle against the United States military.
"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."-Issac Asimov [1920-1992], Russian-born American author
But the President (aka Chief Public Relations Officer for the Corporate Mafia) said that the "combat" mission was over. Gosh I'm shocked. I'm so glad that the Ds are in power and not those bad ol Cheneys and Bushs.
Could be worse. Could be Palin and Brewer. Stuff that in your pipe and smoke it.
Your philosophy would be better the evil you know than the evil you do not know.
Try discarding evil altogether, the third alternative
Wow I feel so much better now. Thanks for your brilliant input. Now I know that the only "choice" one has in US elections are : evil corporate candidate #1 or evil corporate candidate #2. Wow, we are only 1 party away from dictatorship, thanks agian for clarifying for us poor ignorant peons.
Hail Caesar!
Hail the Empire!
"So?" as Dick Cheney has famously said.
But Combat operations are OVER in Iraq!!
>>They are also allowed to fire in self-defence
Claiming "Self defence" the US has invaded and attacked Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, The Sudan, Libya, Pakistan , Grenada, Panama , and Vietnam amongst others.
This has resulted in the death of Millions and the laying waste to entire countries.
So who gets to decide what "self-defence" in fact means?
There is no such thing as "Al Qaeda". What we have are responsible, honorable men fighting for their country against an occupier who has raped, sodomized and tortured their men, women and children, and destroyed their entire country in order to steal their shyte.
"Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the main northern city of Mosul, nine Iraqi soldiers were killed when the minibus they were travelling in was struck by a roadside bomb. Another six were wounded, a police official said."
___________________________________________*
S W E E T!!! The Iraqi people need to do a better job of finding out who those sellouts are, so that they can be visited at 3 a.m., just like they kick in Iraqis' doors at 3 a.m.... with "support" from American troops.
If Iraq had invaded us, I would also do my best to kill Americans who put on the Iraqi uniform to kill Americans so that Iraq can get our resources.
Baby-killers in a "minibus"! lol! I wonder if they had a flag that read "shoot me!"
This last post of mine is a sloppy rant. Please disregard. My position is that all violence is bad, unnecessary and always avoidable. Show me one school built with the labor of violence!
"Liberalism in the United States
is a broad political philosophy centered around the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, right to due process and equality under the law, and separation of church and state are widely accepted as a common foundation across the spectrum of liberal thought. "
Who is objecting to this 'philosophy'? Is there anyone?
~sc
Are Muslim children covered by this 'philosophy'? Because our "liberal" media and "liberal" politicians spend more destroying Muslim children than they do helping American ones.
The "Liberal" movement in America is like Christianity... all symbolism... no substance.
I wonder if Obama could receive another Nobel Peace Prize...it's just marvelous that his peace keepers, the military, are so proficient ar killing innocent women and children all in the name of liberty, democracy and world wide security for the hyuman race and for all the denizens of the planet! I love America....home of the cowards, land of the slave!
Who of you that posted above are not cowards? What are YOU doing that makes you a hero?
I have no need to be a hero. I just live honestly, keep learning, keep doing whatever little things one imperfect person out of 6 billion can do to bring peace, and help those who need help. I try to find other people who believe in the same things and join with them. I try to talk with those who do not agree and understand their point of view. That kind of effort is neither cowardly nor heroic. It is something else. Life is not a cartoon.
Joe
"Seven Civilians Killed in US-Iraqi Raid"
Nothing to worry about here, just a little collateral damage. Their families, extended families, tribes will probably not miss them at all, will probably not at all be angered or evern slightly annoyed. This is how we win hearts and minds, after all. These kinds of actions do not breed hatred for the United States, they breed love for our country. They love us in Iraq. They greet us with candies and flowers.
duplicate deleted
But... but... but we won the "war on terror" in Iraq and we "liberated" Iraq, right?
And American is still number one so all is good!
So if you are the parent of a soldier killed in Iraq ,your child did not die in combat is that right ? Yet if your child is in Afghanistan and they get killed it was during combat ,right...just want to be certain to use the politacally correct terms.
BLAIR'S BOOK : JUST OUT - includes :
"On that night of the 12th May, 1994, I needed that love Cherie gave me, selfishly. I devoured it to give me strength. I was an animal following my instinct, knowing I would need every ounce of emotional power to cope with what lay ahead. I was exhilarated, afraid and determined in roughly equal quantities."
But that's just the gossip.
As for the stuff people really want to know, like, "Why did you throw your place in history away by traipsing after George Bush's every decision?" ... they won't know any more after reading the book.
It is no surprise that the former Prime Minister still believes it was right to remove Saddam Hussein, but he has not applied his formidable brain to understanding how, as Iraq spun out of control, his uncritical attitudes to America's Commander in Chief fed into the terrible unraveling of Iraq and undermined his reputation at home across the political spectrum.
He wrote a post-script to the book : The irony is that this most small "c" conservative man has ended up loathed as much by the right in Britain as the left.
Blair's "A Journey" is not going to change anyone's opinion of the former Prime Minister, nor is it going to answer the questions thrown up by the man who was the greatest political performer of his time and who seemed at one point to be touched by the "hand of destiny" (his words) and ended up something less.
All proceeds from "A Journey" - including the reported 5 million pounds ($7.7 million) advance - are being donated to the Royal British Legion, the retired servicemen's charity."
Of some interest perhaps.
~sc
"coolhead September 17th, 2010 4:05 pm
Are Muslim children covered by this 'philosophy'? Because our "liberal" media and "liberal" politicians spend more destroying Muslim children than they do helping American ones.
The "Liberal" movement in America is like Christianity... all symbolism... no substance."
Didn't you realise I was giving a definition?
If we could have a definition of the 'philosophy' of Christianity, that would be useful too.
For example we could post the whole of the atrocities in the Old Testament...'God's words'., so that people could be clear about this 'movement's' revered 'philosophy'.
"glenn ford September 17th, 2010 10:36 am
Your philosophy would be better the evil you know than the evil you do not know.
Try discarding evil altogether, the third alternative"
But, this would mean Man would have no free will.. he could not 'choose' to be 'good' OR 'evil'... And so would not be deserving of merit or blame....Can't have THAT.. was tried once with success by a lawyer in America...he got off a couple of school boy murderers!
Actually : Descartes said : 'Man is evil. Born evil'..
~sc
"Chelsey September 17th, 2010 2:40 pm
When GWBush was in office war was war and torture was torture.
Obama is in office and war, renditions, etc. is "cleaning up after Bush" and everything can't be done about these wars now because he (Obama) doesn't have "a magic wand."
I think most of the world know about 'Extraordinary Rendition' - that is, what is called 'renditioning'. We are fully aware that renditioning means : outsourcing torture for other countries to do the torturing for 'us' ('us' being america and england and others of their friends. so that we can not be SEEN to be torturing.
And true.. Obama does NOT have a magic wand. However, he is sending pilotless drones to murder other people in far-away lands.. and ordering war war war (under orders from his bosses, whose faces we never see).
~sc