Thursday, October 11, 2007

Will Waxman hold hearings?

Fog of war: In the week-and-a-half following the Blackwater shooting incident of September 16, the US military reportedly killed several Iraqi civilians by mistake in hot shooting situations. The first occurred on September 17, when "coalition" troops killed a driver of a car who came too close to a security perimeter - a tragic situation not unlike the reported one involving Blackwater. The second fatal military incident took place on September 20. In the third, on September 20, five women and four children reportedly were killed. U.S. authorities are investigating. While we can't jump to conclusions, the lack of outrage on the part of the Iraqi government, the media, and Congress shows some hypocrisy when compared with the Blackwater controversy.
  • September 17: "During the operations, the driver of a vehicle that approached the security perimeter of the ground force was assessed to have been killed by coalition fire that destroyed the vehicle." (American Forces Press Service)
  • September 20: "Meanwhile, an Iraqi civilian was killed and seven wounded Thursday as US and Iraqi forces raided the Shiite Sadr City in east Baghdad, according to media reports. The source added that a US helicopter dropped bombs on the area during the raid that lasted for two hours, damaging a house and setting ablaze seven civilian cars. The forces also detained eight people during the operation, he said." (Deutsche Presse Agentur)
  • Sept. 27, 2007: "The US military says it is investigating the deaths of nine women and children in an area south of the Iraqi capital, where US forces had been conducting ground and air operations. A statement says five women and four children were killed Tuesday evening in a village, Babahani, west of the town of Musayyib. It says structures in the area have been used as safe houses for al-Qaida in Iraq. Local police officers told the Associated Press the victims were in a house that was attacked by US jets." (Voice of America)

Will Waxman hold hearings? Before the trial lawyers get involved?

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