[antimedia] antimedia: The other side of Haditha....

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<Far from a massacre, this appears to be a tragedy>
Sorry, there's nothing that rises to the level of tragedy about this (in the
true meaning of the word, where tragedy is a form of drama characterized by
seriousness and dignity, usually involving a conflict between a character
and some higher power--see various definitions). I'd suggest a better word
is 'misfortune.' That's the most that should be said about it. Even
'collateral damage' implies "innocents" were killed, and we don't know that
to be true--and based on too many experiences, it's likely not to be true
(except for the children, whose death may well be due to their parents
harboring insurgents).

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Subject: [antimedia] antimedia: The other side of Haditha....

Posted by antimedia:
The other side of Haditha....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1150002942.shtml


   ....is [1]is beginning to come out, and from the description of the
   Sergeant in charge, it appears that the shootings were justified and
   within the rules of engagement.

     As leader of 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion,
     1st Marine Regiment, Wuterich was in a platoon of Humvees hit by a
     roadside bomb. He entered a house where Marines thought fire was
     originating and made the initial radio reports to company
     headquarters on the incident, Puckett said.
     Wuterich told his lawyer the shootings were the result of a sweep
     for enemies in a firefight, the Post reported. He was a member of a
     four-man team of Marines who entered the house, kicked in the door
     to a room and tossed a fragmentation grenade inside. One Marine
     fired clearing shots into the room, killing several people,
     Wuterich told his lawyer.
     They found men, women and children, most likely civilians, inside,
     but believed the insurgents had escaped to another house. They went
     to that house and used a grenade and gunfire to clear another room,
     killing more people, the Post account said.
     Wuterich called for a stop and went back to the platoon leader to
     reassess the situation. Puckett said his client knew a number of
     civilians had been killed and never tried to obscure the fact,
     immediately reporting 12 to 15 civilians had been killed.

   It is well known that the terrorists used women and children as human
   shields and deliberately put them in positions that will expose them
   to our fire. It's very likely that the terrorists were in those
   houses. They may even have detonated the IED from there. Then, when
   the Marines entered, they slipped out the back door, leaving the
   families behind to suffer the brunt of the Marines' assault.
   This changes the equation dramatically. The issue now is whether or
   not the Marines involved acted within the Rules of Engagement when
   they assaulted. From the Sergeant's description, they were in hot
   pursuit of the enemy, but when he realized what had happened, he
   called a halt to the assault to reassess the situation.
   Far from a massacre, this appears to be a tragedy deliberately
   orchestrated by the terrorists. We won't know until the investigation
   is completed, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of them
   were charged with excessive use of force or a similar charge rather
   than murder.

References

   1.
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=12489657&src=rs
s/topNews

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