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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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February 5th,
2007 - U.S. Military in Iraq Admit Airstrike Error |
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U.S. Military in Iraq Admit Airstrike
Error Reuters Monday, February 5, 2007; 7:14 AM Mahmudiya, Iraq - U.S.
military officers offered their condolences on Monday to an Iraqi family
south of Baghdad in a rare admission of error after killing two innocent
Iraqis in an airstrike last Tuesday. A U.S. military statement
released on January 31 said two "insurgents" out of a four-man team
were killed as they were trying to plant a roadside bomb in the town of Mahmudiya. Calling the incident a
"tragic accident," the officers on Monday handed out $2,500 to the
family for each man killed. A small group of U.S.
officers, accompanied by an Iraqi officer and Mahmudiya's mayor, entered a
tent with their weapons where mourners gathered to pay respect to the
victims, shaking hands with tribesman and drinking hot coffee. After one of the tribesmen
lectured the Americans on their "many mistakes," Lieutenant-Colonel
Robert Morschauser apologized to the gathering. "I wish I could roll
the clock back five or six days and start again," he said. U.S. military admissions of
error are rare in Iraq. Many Iraqis believe wrongful
killings of Iraqis at the hands of Americans are frequent and generally go
unnoticed. © 2007 Reuters External link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020500394.html |