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Bagdat Rejects Report Exonerating US Soldiers
Bagdat Rejects Report Exonerating US Soldiers
By Foreign News Desk
Published: Sunday, June 04, 2006
The US army, which carries on four separate investigations into civilian deaths in Iraq, being mainly the Haditha massacre, acquitted US soldiers of the killing of 11 civilians, nine of them women, in the town of Ishaqi.
The US administration defends that an air attack was conducted on the house with civilians inside “upon the demand of soldiers who came under fire.” Nevertheless, Iraqi witnesses and police claim that the bombardment occurred in order to “erase the traces of a civilian massacre.”
In the frame of the investigation launched, the US army concluded that US soldiers “did no wrong” during the raid; however, the Iraqi government claimed that the investigation results were unfair and asked Iraqi officials to launch a separate investigation.
Some evidence had been found at the scene of the incident supporting the Iraqi government’s rejection of the US claims.
The US administration which has come under scrutiny over civilian deaths in Iraq, preparing to give “a two-hour moral training” session to soldiers about the subject, is still carrying on investigations into the civilian killings in Haditha in November, Hamandiya in April and in Samarra, which occurred this week.
Major General William Caldwell from the US army defended that the allegations saying US soldiers raided a home in Ishaqi on March 15 and “killed” a family and then “tried to cover up the incident”, were completely false.
A statement from the US army told that the soldiers followed “the usual procedure” during the incident.
A total of 11 civilians including a six-month baby had been killed due to a US air attack on a house in the town of Ishaqi, 100 kilometers north of Iraq.
The US army alleges that the civilians in the house opened fire on the soldiers, and so the soldiers “naturally” had to retaliate and in doing so, initiate an air attack on the house.
Witnesses to the contrary, claim that the house was bombed in order to erase the traces of massacre in which US soldiers gather the people in the house into a room and then killed them.
Police officials said the house was bombed to remove any trace of the killings after the householders were killed.
Empty shells belonging to the US soldiers were found in the house during the police investigation and the photographs taken after the incident showed the children with “bullet and shrapnel marks” on their heads.
The US army has denied the allegations and statements from witnesses. The Iraqi government rejected the results of the US investigation and demanded the event be reinvestigated by Iraqi officials.
Iraq Deputy Prime Minister Adnan al-Kazimi said they were informed by more than one source that the victims were killed in a suspicious manner. “The US’s report is not fair,” al-Kazimi said, and they will ask the US to apologize and pay compensation for those killed.
The most important of the four investigations carried out by the US about the Haditha killings, which occurred on November 19 killing 24 civilians, is still continuing and the victims are being autopsied in a forensic lab.
Meanwhile, The New York Times wrote of a new scandal based on statements made by a military source.
The paper reported the American commanders were informed of the “intentional killing of civilians” in Haditha two days after the massacre; however, they did not launch an investigation.
An American commander speaking with The New York Times said it is hard to believe that the commanders were not aware of the oddity of the incident.
Meanwhile, yesterday, a suicide bombing shook the southern Iraqi city of Basra, relatively more secure than central Iraq and mainly populated by Shiites.
The attack killed 33 and wounded 55. Iraqi police officials said the attack, carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle, was targeted at the city’s main market.
In another attack in the capital Bagdat (Baghdad) one Russian diplomat was killed and four others were kidnapped
Bagdat Rejects Report Exonerating US Soldiers
By Foreign News Desk
Published: Sunday, June 04, 2006
The US army, which carries on four separate investigations into civilian deaths in Iraq, being mainly the Haditha massacre, acquitted US soldiers of the killing of 11 civilians, nine of them women, in the town of Ishaqi.
The US administration defends that an air attack was conducted on the house with civilians inside “upon the demand of soldiers who came under fire.” Nevertheless, Iraqi witnesses and police claim that the bombardment occurred in order to “erase the traces of a civilian massacre.”
In the frame of the investigation launched, the US army concluded that US soldiers “did no wrong” during the raid; however, the Iraqi government claimed that the investigation results were unfair and asked Iraqi officials to launch a separate investigation.
Some evidence had been found at the scene of the incident supporting the Iraqi government’s rejection of the US claims.
The US administration which has come under scrutiny over civilian deaths in Iraq, preparing to give “a two-hour moral training” session to soldiers about the subject, is still carrying on investigations into the civilian killings in Haditha in November, Hamandiya in April and in Samarra, which occurred this week.
Major General William Caldwell from the US army defended that the allegations saying US soldiers raided a home in Ishaqi on March 15 and “killed” a family and then “tried to cover up the incident”, were completely false.
A statement from the US army told that the soldiers followed “the usual procedure” during the incident.
A total of 11 civilians including a six-month baby had been killed due to a US air attack on a house in the town of Ishaqi, 100 kilometers north of Iraq.
The US army alleges that the civilians in the house opened fire on the soldiers, and so the soldiers “naturally” had to retaliate and in doing so, initiate an air attack on the house.
Witnesses to the contrary, claim that the house was bombed in order to erase the traces of massacre in which US soldiers gather the people in the house into a room and then killed them.
Police officials said the house was bombed to remove any trace of the killings after the householders were killed.
Empty shells belonging to the US soldiers were found in the house during the police investigation and the photographs taken after the incident showed the children with “bullet and shrapnel marks” on their heads.
The US army has denied the allegations and statements from witnesses. The Iraqi government rejected the results of the US investigation and demanded the event be reinvestigated by Iraqi officials.
Iraq Deputy Prime Minister Adnan al-Kazimi said they were informed by more than one source that the victims were killed in a suspicious manner. “The US’s report is not fair,” al-Kazimi said, and they will ask the US to apologize and pay compensation for those killed.
The most important of the four investigations carried out by the US about the Haditha killings, which occurred on November 19 killing 24 civilians, is still continuing and the victims are being autopsied in a forensic lab.
Meanwhile, The New York Times wrote of a new scandal based on statements made by a military source.
The paper reported the American commanders were informed of the “intentional killing of civilians” in Haditha two days after the massacre; however, they did not launch an investigation.
An American commander speaking with The New York Times said it is hard to believe that the commanders were not aware of the oddity of the incident.
Meanwhile, yesterday, a suicide bombing shook the southern Iraqi city of Basra, relatively more secure than central Iraq and mainly populated by Shiites.
The attack killed 33 and wounded 55. Iraqi police officials said the attack, carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle, was targeted at the city’s main market.
In another attack in the capital Bagdat (Baghdad) one Russian diplomat was killed and four others were kidnapped
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