The thing I don't understand is a wedding party at 2:45 a.m?
At least, not without a keg of beer and a polka band.
This is a propaganda set up ... don't doubt for a minute that Zarqawi wouldn't slaughter women and children to get a propaganda piece the Arab press would gobble up willingly. Intergity is not something the Arab Press comprehends.
I've been to many wedding parties that went on beyond midnight to 3 or four in the morning. This incident sounds like it is heading towards a tragic response to cultural misunderstandings, etc. The quicker and the more open the military addresses this issue, the better. The same thing happened in Afghanistan. I believe the US was upfront about it after investigations, etc. That incident doesn't get talked about anymore....
Of course elections are just a few months away...the media priorities can change.....
I'll venture a guess. The forecast for Al Kut is high 101, low 78. By 2:30 AM, it may have dropped to a tolerable 85, thus the late wedding. If this was truthfully a wedding celebration, it is a shame, but how stupid can they be firing in a war zone?