Worst Wedding ever

akhhorus · #1 05-19-2004, 01:03 PM

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040519/D82LPPNO0.html

U.S. Reportedly Kills 40 Iraqis at Party

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. helicopter fired on a wedding party early Wednesday in western Iraq, killing more than 40 people, Iraqi officials said. The U.S. military said it could not confirm the report and was investigating.

Lt. Col Ziyad al-Jbouri, deputy police chief of the city of Ramadi, said between 42 and 45 people died in the attack, which took place about 2:45 a.m. in a remote desert area near the border with Syria and Jordan. He said those killed included 15 children and 10 women.

Dr. Salah al-Ani, who works at a hospital in Ramadi, put the death toll at 45.

Associated Press Television News obtained videotape showing a truck containing bodies of those allegedly killed.

About a dozen bodies, one without a head, could be clearly seen. but it appeared that bodies were piled on top of each other and a clear count was not possible.

The Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television reported that more than 20 people were killed and 10 injured in the attack.

Iraqis interviewed on the videotape said partygoers had fired into the air in a traditional wedding celebration. American troops have sometimes mistaken celebratory gunfire for hostile fire.

"I cannot comment on this because we have not received any reports from our units that this has happened nor that any were involved in such a tragedy," Lt. Col. Dan Williams, a U.S. military spokesman, wrote in an e-mail in response to a question from The Associated Press.

"We take all these requests seriously and we have forwarded this inquiry to the Joint Operations Center for further review and any other information that may be available," Williams said.

The video footage showed mourners with shovels digging graves. A group of men crouched and wept around one coffin.

Al-Ani said people at the wedding fired weapons in the air, and that American troops came to investigate and left. However, al-Ani said, helicopters attacked the area at about 3 a.m. Two houses were destroyed, he said.

"This was a wedding and the (U.S.) planes came and attacked the people at a house. Is this the democracy and freedom that (President) Bush has brought us?" said a man on the videotape, Dahham Harraj. "There was no reason."

Another man shown on the tape, who refused to give his name, said the victims were at a wedding party "and the U.S. military planes came... and started killing everyone in the house."

In July 2002, Afghan officials said 48 civilians at a wedding party were killed and 117 wounded by a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. An investigative report released by the U.S. Central Command said the airstrike was justified because American planes had come under fire.

fent · #2 05-19-2004, 01:05 PM

HOLY EFFING S!

akhhorus · #3 05-19-2004, 01:07 PM

and before anyone criticizes the source, its being reported on CNN and the Drudge Report.

RedskinsDave · #4 05-19-2004, 01:17 PM

We'll still have to wait for some sort of confirmation.

akhhorus · #5 05-19-2004, 01:19 PM

Fox News, ABC news are running it

Spence · #6 05-19-2004, 01:19 PM

See, this is the sort of colossal effing mistake you can recover from if the population thinks you're basically of good will and want to help the country. However, as we know from polls done by the Coalition itself, most Iraqis already think we're there to punish Islam and steal their oil. This is just another nail in the coffin of this absurd adventure.

PennSkinsFan · #7 05-19-2004, 01:41 PM

In defense, which is not really a defense, the Iraqi custom appears to be to fire weopens in the air after the wedding. Well, in a war time situation, with air patrols in the area, and live fir eon the ground, it might not be that difficult to assume you are under fire, and respond accordingly.

RedskinsDave · #8 05-19-2004, 01:42 PM

It also might not be that difficult to not shoot the frickin guns in the air ever.

fent · #9 05-19-2004, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PennSkinsFan

In defense, which is not really a defense, the Iraqi custom appears to be to fire weopens in the air after the wedding. Well, in a war time situation, with air patrols in the area, and live fir eon the ground, it might not be that difficult to assume you are under fire, and respond accordingly.

i've often wondered...how badly do you have to be effed out of your mind to shoot a live weapon up in the air knowing that that things going to come back down?

SkinsKY · #10 05-19-2004, 02:14 PM

We better hope that we can continue to be the most powerful nation because the moment we're not, you can almost be sure the international community will turn on us for doing things like this. We're certainly not doing ourselves any favors here.

Spence · #11 05-19-2004, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PennSkinsFan

In defense, which is not really a defense, the Iraqi custom appears to be to fire weopens in the air after the wedding. Well, in a war time situation, with air patrols in the area, and live fir eon the ground, it might not be that difficult to assume you are under fire, and respond accordingly.

Hey, no one is suggesting our troops bombed a wedding party on purpose. But this is one of the reasons you don't wage a war of choice in a country like Iraq, where the social and political customs are so different from our own. We bombed a wedding party in Afghanistan, too. Big mistake. Killed a bunch of innocent people. We made it worse by denying it when everyone knew it had happened before finally admitting the truth. But most Afghans didn't hold it against us forever because they didn't believe we were there to oppress them and most Americans didn't let it demoralize them because they knew our troops had to be there.

None of those factors are present in Iraq, which is why this is just going to cook our goose hotter.

NamVet4 · #12 05-19-2004, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akhhorus

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040519/D82LPPNO0.html

U.S. Reportedly Kills 40 Iraqis at Party

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. helicopter fired on a wedding party early Wednesday in western Iraq, killing more than 40 people, Iraqi officials said. Lt. Col Ziyad al-Jbouri, deputy police chief of the city of Ramadi, said between 42 and 45 people died in the attack, which took place about 2:45 a.m. in a remote desert area near the border with Syria and Jordan. Dr. Salah al-Ani, who works at a hospital in Ramadi, put the death toll at 45.

Well - it must have been one hell of party to last until a Quarter to Three in the morning!!!

Quote:

Associated Press Television News obtained videotape showing a truck containing bodies of those allegedly killed.
About a dozen bodies, one without a head, could be clearly seen. but it appeared that bodies were piled on top of each other and a clear count was not possible.

Do we know of "others" who kill people by removing heads and piling up bodies?

Quote:

Iraqis interviewed on the videotape said partygoers had fired into the air in a traditional wedding celebration. American troops have sometimes mistaken celebratory gunfire for hostile fire.

Now that wasn't the brightest "tradition" to employ in a country that been under siege for months !!!

Quote:

Al-Ani said people at the wedding fired weapons in the air, and that American troops came to investigate and left. However, al-Ani said, helicopters attacked the area at about 3 a.m. Two houses were destroyed, he said.
"This was a wedding and the (U.S.) planes came and attacked the people at a house. Is this the democracy and freedom that (President) Bush has brought us?" said a man on the videotape, Dahham Harraj. "There was no reason."
Another man shown on the tape, who refused to give his name, said the victims were at a wedding party "and the U.S. military planes came... and started killing everyone in the house."

Was it American ground troops, helicopter assault units or jets???

Quote:

In July 2002, Afghan officials said 48 civilians at a wedding party were killed and 117 wounded by a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. An investigative report released by the U.S. Central Command said the airstrike was justified because American planes had come under fire.

I wonder if the terrorists read these reports also?

I am sorry for the loss of any life, even innocents who are sacrificed . . . But being the eternal pessimist and paranoid person that I am, I suspect there is more to this than what is on the surface.

just my 2 cents.

fent · #13 05-19-2004, 03:17 PM

good thoughts namvet

NamVet4 · #14 05-19-2004, 03:38 PM

Quote:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials said a U.S. helicopter fired on a wedding party Wednesday in western Iraq, killing more than 40 people, including children. Senior Pentagon officials confirmed that approximately 40 were killed in an airstrike near the Syrian border, but they told NBC News that the incident involved an AC-130 warship — not a helicopter — and that the aircraft returned fire after coming under attack from militants.
It was not immediately possible to reconcile the divergent accounts or even verify that both descriptions were of the same incident.

Source

suppitty · #15 05-19-2004, 07:19 PM

I bet Americans have killed more muslims than the other way around. These stupid accidents have to be stopped!!! this is just fueling rage against the US. brings back the same old thing. no war in iraq, these people dont die, hundreds dont die in madrid, hundreds of soldiers dont die, no al queda in iraq like there is now, no future-crippling shortage of money, and muslims arent quite so pissed off at us. Sure sadaam is doing terrible things to the innocent peopl, but i think the people are worse off with the situation right now. just think:
instead of the husseins beating people its us soldiers. how bout those daily bombings that kill mostly iraqi citizens, and then of course what nobody seems to car about:
ALL THE IRAQIS WHO HAVE DIED FROM ACCIDENTS LIKE THIS, AND DURING THE WAR.

what a war.