The War Profiteers - The Baghdad Airport Road Killings

The War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money

Killings Database – Year 2008

The Baghdad Airport Road Killings

Background	Media Reports	Government Reports	Photo Credits

Background - June 25^th, 2008 “[…] The U.S. military admitted Sunday that American soldiers killed innocent civilians after opening fire on a car last month on the heavily secured Baghdad airport road. The statement - which called the man and two women killed ‘law abiding citizens of Iraq’ - reversed earlier military claims that they were suspected militants who shot at a parked American convoy. The military blamed the shooting on a series of misunderstandings and said ‘neither the soldiers nor civilians involved in the incident were at fault.’ […]” Excerpt of an Associated Press article from July 28^th, 2008.		U.S. checkpoint at Baghdad airport road

Media Reports July 28^th, 2008 - U.S.: Troops Killed Iraqi Civilians 2 news articles by the Associated Press & Agence France Presse July 28^th, 2008 - US Troops Killed Civilians in June Incident - Military 4 news articles by Reuters, McClatchy Newspapers, Washington Post & New York Times July 26^th, 2008 - Incident on Baghdad’s Airport Road 1 news article by Time Magazine November 4^th, 2005 - Easy Sailing Along Once-Perilous Road To Baghdad Airport 1 news article by the Washington Post

Government Reports July 27^th, 2008 - Escalation of Force Investigation Complete Press Release by the Public Affairs Office of the Multi-National Force, Iraq “[…] The Multi-National Division - Baghdad investigation into the June 25 escalation of force incident finds that neither the soldiers nor civilians involved in the incident were at fault. “On June 25, MND-B soldiers were traveling south in a four-vehicle convoy on a road adjacent to Baghdad International Airport when they experienced maintenance problems with one of their vehicles. The soldiers pulled over to the side of the road to assess and recover the vehicle. While working on the vehicle, a civilian vehicle approached the rear of the convoy at what appeared to the soldiers to be a high rate of speed despite several obstructions in the road. “Soldiers located at the rear of the convoy perceived the rapidly approaching vehicle as a threat and executed established escalation of force measures. When the vehicle failed to respond to the soldiers’ warning measures, it was engaged with small arms fire. “Initial statements included information about a weapon in the vehicle; the investigation confirmed no weapon was recovered from the vehicle. The initial statement resulted from the numerous soldier witnesses who strongly believed they were being fired upon from the vehicle, and a misunderstanding that the Iraqi Police arriving at the scene collected a weapon. A thorough investigation determined that the driver and passengers were law abiding citizens of Iraq. “’This was an extremely unfortunate and tragic incident,’ said Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff, MND-B and 4th Inf. Div. ‘Our deepest regrets of sympathy and condolences go out to the family. We are taking several corrective measures to amend and eliminate the possibility of such situations happening in the future.’ […]” June 25^th, 2008 - MND-B Soldiers Kill 3 Criminals Following Attack on Convoy Press Release by the Public Affairs Office of the Multi-National Force, Iraq “[…] Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers killed three criminals after they attacked them with small arms fire in Baghdad at approximately 8:40 a.m. June 25. “The Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), were part of a convoy that was stopped on the roadside. The criminals, who were traveling in a northerly direction near Baghdad International Airport fired at the Soldiers. “The Soldiers returned fire, which resulted in the vehicle running off the road and striking a wall. The vehicle then exploded. All three criminals were killed in the incident. A weapon was recovered from the wreckage. Two MND-B convoy vehicle received bullet hole damage from the small arms fire. No Soldiers were injured in the attack. “’When we are attacked, we will defend ourselves and will use deadly force if necessary,’ said Maj. Joey Sullinger, a spokesperson for 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. ‘Such attacks endanger not only U.S. Soldiers but also innocent civilians, including women and children, travelling the roadways of Baghdad.’ […]”

Photo Credits Background 1) US military personnel secured a stretch of the highway leading to the Baghdad International Airport after an attack in October. - April 2005 - Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France Presse/Getty Images/File;
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