How To Win Friends And Influence People
I noted that all of Iraq has effectively been designated as a free-fire zone. This is sure to enhance the life of its residents and make the US/UK invaders even more popular. Way to win their hearts and minds, guys.
the standing orders at checkpoints are simple: shoot-to-kill those who do not obey. That was the case near Najaf, where artillery fire killed the three men who refused to stop their car. “It was clear they were incoming suicide bombers,” said Colonel Michael Linnington, commander of the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade. “The vehicle was blown up, killing everyone on board.”
U.S. military officials told NBC News that seven women and children were killed at a checkpoint southeast of Karbala when U.S. troops opened fire on their van after the driver refused to stop. The officials said the soldiers first attempted to disable the vehicle by shooting at the engine, but when the van continued forward they opened fire on the driver and passenger compartment.
US President George Bush said there would be no pause in the assault, promising the Iraqi people that “we are coming and we will not stop, we will not relent until your country is free”.
Extra:Military’s version of this incident differs significantly from eye-witness accounts:
A US military spokesman says the soldiers motioned the vehicle to stop but their signals were ignored. However, according to the Washington Post, Captain Ronny Johnson, who was in charge of the checkpoint, blamed his own troops for ignoring orders to fire a warning shot. “You just fucking killed a family because you didn’t fire a warning shot soon enough!”, he reportedly yelled at them.
Fifteen Iraqi civilians were packed inside the Toyota, officers said, along with as many of their possessions as the jammed vehicle could hold. Ten of them, including five children who appeared to be under 5 years old, were killed on the spot when the high-explosive rounds slammed into their target, Johnson’s company reported. Of the five others, one man was so severely injured that medics said he was not expected to live. “It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen, and I hope I never see it again,” Sgt. Mario Manzano, 26, an Army medic with Bravo Company of the division’s 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, said later in an interview. He said one of the wounded women sat in the vehicle holding the mangled bodies of two of her children. “She didn’t want to get out of the car,” he said.