U.S. Raid in Iraq Leaves 11 Dead

[starlitkate]

ISAHAQI, Iraq (AP) - Eleven people -- mostly women and children -- were killed when a house was bombed during a U.S. raid north of Baghdad early Wednesday, police and relatives said.

The U.S. military acknowledged four deaths -- a man, two women and a child -- in the raid that they said netted an insurgent suspect in the rural Isahaqi area, about 50 miles north of the capital.

The victims, some wrapped in blankets, were driven in the back of three pickup trucks to the Tikrit General Hospital, about 45 miles to the north, relatives said.

Associated Press photographs showed the bodies of two men, five children and four other covered figures arriving at the hospital accompanied by grief-stricken relatives.

Riyadh Majid, who identified himself as the nephew of the killed head of the family -- Faez Khalaf -- told AP at the hospital that U.S. forces landed in helicopters and raided the home early Wednesday.

Khalaf's brother, Ahmed, said nine of the victims were family members who lived at the house and two were unidentified visitors.

"The killed family was not part of the resistance; they were women and children," Ahmed Khalaf said. "The Americans have promised us a better life, but we get only death."

The U.S. military said it was targeting and captured an individual suspected of supporting foreign fighters for al-Qaida in Iraq.

"Troops were engaged by enemy fire as they approached the building," said Tech. Sgt. Stacy Simon, a military spokeswoman. "Coalition forces returned fire utilizing both air and ground assets. The targeted individual was detained during this raid."

The building and a vehicle were destroyed, the military said.

Police Capt. Laith Mohammed, in nearby Samarra, said American warplanes and armor were used in the strike, which destroyed the house. The 11 people inside were killed, he said.

An AP reporter at the scene said the roof of the house collapsed, three cars were destroyed and two cows were killed.

3/15/2006 06:47:34

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL

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This :angry2: me!! This is sad and touched me deeply to see this. I know anyone could say-'well we see this all the time'. But everytime to take the time to look at it then you realize just how bad the world is.

[HurtingSpirit]

Shouldnt be supporting terrorists.

The nephew even said, there were 2 people at his house that "He didnt know". Yea, I get people inside my house all the time, that ive never seen before. /end sarcasm

Not to mention the soldiers were fired upon while approaching the house. They dont sound to innocent to me. Just because they shield themselves with children, doesnt make it the US's fault.

[Bella-Angelique]

It hink the secular arab nations need to be built up, the former Soviet ones.

I think secular governments need supported far more than trying to create secular governments where none exist.

People cannot be forced into choosing secular governments. They have to learn on their own that it is the best kind to have through exposure to others like them that have better lives because of it.

[AdNauseamSuiGeneris]

Yes blame the U.S. Military for doing their job, and not the male figurehead of the family who CHOSE to put his families life in jepordy by dealing with these types of people. And then he makes another great decision, lets fire at the Americans with my entire family next to me!

[zephyr]

There's no doubt that very dangerous foreign terrorists in Iraq use civilian homes as a hideout, mainly among the Sunnis. However, most of these families, or at least some, are themselves hostages of these terrorists. They are lodged in their homes, not necessarily because the family wants to house them, but because they are made to do so by different pressure means, and if they don't, many bad things could happen to them. Well, in this unfortunate case, bad things did happen to them anyway. So, we can not automatically assume, as some people have here, and have even expressed that assumption in capital letters, that the head of the family risked everyone's life by voluntarily choosing to lodge dangerous foreign terrorists whose main task is to blow up their fellow countrymen and bring insecurity to their country. They can easily be regarded as hostages themselves to those thugs, and they should be treated as such by the occupying forces.

Now, I realize that this is an unfortunate war with unfortunate events, but more surgical operations are needed, operations such as the ones used by police special forces to get at two armed criminals among civilians; instead of bringing the whole house down with everyone in it. That would certainly avoid a lot of unnecessary death and trouble for a lot of people. Of course, the terrorists are the ones who benefit most when civilians die in what might seem to be an over-sized military intervention without any regards for civilian lives. The most obvious benefit being more volunteers for suicide attacks, among other things. It becomes much easier for the chief terrorists to persuade and recruit more suicide bombers.

Keeping the fact in mind that those foreign terrorists are extremely brutal without any respect for human life, even that of the people who lodge them, and the fact that the operating forces want to protect their own lives in such situations, the philosophy of police special forces in similar cases can be of great help. They too are concerned about their own safety and don't want to get themselves hurt, but they are also concerned about the lives of the civilians involved in a situation, and it is this concern that is so vital in what they do and their very reason for being. Otherwise one can easily imagine helicopters and armored vehicles bringing any building down in any situation.

Of course, Iraq being a war zone makes this situation different from similar ones elsewhere and I know my analogy lacks strength in this respect. It's also natural that the existing combat situation be used as a justification for heavy-handed interventions in almost every situation while it might only be valid in some cases, but surely that kind of intervention is not very productive in the long-run as far as the politics of the war are concerned. I don't think such heavy-handed operations are really needed in every case, and since I'm not an expert on police or military operations, I would accept any valid counter-arguments to my own with pleasure. However, you don't need to be an expert to see that such events make it practically impossible to sell to the Iraqis the idea that the occupiers care about them and their lives, and protecting them is the reason for the continuation of the occupation.

Quite a dilemma for the occupiers, a dilemma that's getting more complicated with each passing day.

It hink the secular arab nations need to be built up, the former Soviet ones.

There were no Arab Republics among the former Soviet Republics Bella!

[Unlimited]

All who harbor them...its a sad fact of war that innocents in the midst of terrorists die.

[Raydon]

people always feel bad when the women and children are killed but, lets not forget that in vietnam the women and children were killing soldiers. no one age group or sex can be trusted in situations like these. plus i thought in thier country women and children didn't matter. arent they 2nd and 3rd class citizens? if they came here to bomb us believe me they wouldnt stop to save the women and children.

[STIX]

There has been something like 100 000+ civilian casualties in Iraq since the start of the war.... that showed em!

[Sanjuro]

These soldiers deserve to die , oh yes they do and some day it will happen.

[Raydon]

why do the soldiers deserve to die?

[Unlimited]

These soldiers deserve to die , oh yes they do and some day it will happen.

The people in the house shot at them...what part dont you understand..

[Sanjuro]

why do the soldiers deserve to die?

Bombing the hause down without makeing sure that there is no civilians is a crime and killing 5 children is a terrible crime..

[Raydon]

i dont think its a crime to bomb a house full of criminals. the parents if they cared wouldnt have had thier children there. when was the last time you served in a war?

[Unlimited]

Bombing the hause down without makeing sure that there is no civilians is a crime and killing 5 children is a terrible crime..

there was one child what are you reading? your just so full of hatred towards the u.s. that your blind!

[Sanjuro]

there was one child what are you reading? your just so full of hatred towards the u.s. that your blind!

The 11 people inside were killed.

"The killed family was not part of the resistance; they were women and children," Ahmed Khalaf said. "The Americans have promised us a better life, but we get only death."

Only two of eleven were terrorists..

Its just like in Vietnam, bombing everything up with napalm like cowards who dont want to risk with their murdering lifes.

Edited March 15, 2006 by Sanjuro

[Raydon]

you can't believe everything they say. most of them are happy not to be under saddam's control.

[Raydon]

were you even born when vietnam was in full swing? were you raised by a parent who fought in vietnam? or maybe you fought there youself?

unless you experienced what happened there i don't think you have anything valuable to say.

[supercar]

Bombing the hause down without makeing sure that there is no civilians is a crime and killing 5 children is a terrible crime..

Well by that definition the Iraqi insurgents/terrorists are the biggest criminals. They deliberatly target women and children. And the Iraqi insurgents/terrorists are Muslims.

The Iraqi insurgents/terrorists have killed thousands more civilians than US/Coaltion forces.

[StalingradK]

There has been something like 100 000+ civilian casualties in Iraq since the start of the war.... that showed em!

Holy crap, where is that figure coming from? The count right now is about 30,000. Do some homework. (iraqbodycount)

Edited March 15, 2006 by StalingradK

[Stellar]

unless you experienced what happened there i don't think you have anything valuable to say.

But you do? Im sorry, but killing civilians is wrong. It is not permitted. They may be hostages, but that doesnt make them legal targets.

[Michelle]

Stellar and Zephyr agree on something???

[Stellar]

What? That killing innocent civilians is wrong? Doesnt the rational, civilized world agree too?

[Pax Unum]

What? That killing innocent civilians is wrong? Doesnt the rational, civilized world agree too?

sorry, but no... you can't just leave the terrorists alone, because they hide like cowards amongst civilians...

[Michelle]

Yes, Stellar...lighten up a bit won't you?

Zephyr said the same thing in his post. I was merely pointing out that with all your differences you can agree on something.

I agree with both of you.

[Sanjuro]

sorry, but no... you can't just leave the terrorists alone, because they hide like cowards amongst civilians...

When terrorists will hide in your hause and soldiers will blow up your family and you , you will be saying the same thing? Dont think so, so stop being ignorant.

Edited March 15, 2006 by Sanjuro