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Nine Iraqi wedding-goers killed after US tank collision
Sydney Morning Herald ^ | July 24, 2004

Posted on 07/23/2004 8:12:45 AM PDT by dead

A van carrying Iraqi civilians collided with a US tank near Baghdad, killing nine people and injuring 10 others, the US military said yesterday.

The accident occurred about 10pm on Thursday night (0400 AEST Friday), said Specialist Justin McCue, a press official of the US-led military coalition.

"The van was attempting to pass another vehicle when it collided with the tank," McCue said. "All the injured were taken to a medical facility."

There were no US or coalition casualties, McCue said. He had no other details.

There were slightly different accounts of the crash.

Iraqi police Captain Adnan Salih said nine people were killed and 18 injured in the tank collision with a bus in Tarmiyah, 50km north of Baghdad.

Salih said the fatalities included four men, four women and one child - all of whom had been attending a wedding party in Tarmiyah.

Footage taken by Associated Press Television News showed the twisted wreckage of a minibus and several bodies of accident victims covered by blankets. A small child's orange dress was found amid the wreckage and pools of blood covered the road.

US forces and Iraqi police surrounded the crash site.

An unidentified eyewitness, who said he was a passenger on the bus, told APTN the vehicle was carrying 12 people from the same family when the tank crashed into it.

"They were in a wedding party on their way from Tarmiyah to Baghdad ... (when) an American armoured vehicle hit them and left," the man said.

AP


TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iraq
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To: jslade

Midget clowns or full-sized clowns?


61 posted on 07/23/2004 12:00:27 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: dead

You know. Midget clowns. Like they pack into a VW.


62 posted on 07/23/2004 12:04:32 PM PDT by jslade (People who are easily offended, OFFEND ME!)
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To: Atlantic Friend
The tanks were occupying one side of the road, Leopard-1 and AMX-30s, and a British family in a Range-Rover crashed into the leading tank. It was terrible, the Range was piled into the front armor like a crushed Coke can.

Tragic. I remember a similar event on the German Autobahn where a Leo got taken out by a Mercedees traveling at very high speed. The sick side of me began calculating the Russian Army's attrition rate while attempting to cross the bahn.

63 posted on 07/23/2004 12:07:35 PM PDT by Tallguy (If Clinton did a good job stopping the Millenium Bomber, I've got 2 Towers in NYC to sell you...)
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To: SoCal Pubbie

The term 'wedding' party in Iraq is not synonomous with the western world. During the Baathist control of the area and somewhat influenced by Islam, curfews were established with exclusions provided for 'wedding' parties. Whether this was indeed a wedding party or merely that label is anybody's guess. Typically anybody in an awkward situation after a curfew described their presence in public as attending a wedding. Doesn't mean it wasn't a legitimate social function.


64 posted on 07/23/2004 12:13:37 PM PDT by Cvengr (;^))
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To: dead

There's a wedding party in every article we read. Iraq must be such a peace loving, family oriented country.


65 posted on 07/23/2004 12:15:55 PM PDT by mtbopfuyn
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To: dead

Hmmmm. I've come to the following conclusions based on media reporting during my life.

1) Mobile Home's cause Tornado's.

2) SUV's are all programed to kill humans.

3) Detonation of US Military Weapons in arid places causes wedding parties to spring from the earth one tenth of a second before the explosive force is released.

Odd world we live in, according to the media.....(grin)


66 posted on 07/23/2004 12:17:56 PM PDT by Badeye ("The day you stop learning, is the day you begin dying")
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To: ken21
vehy interesting! they marry their cousins, in order to secure the families from outside influences.

We have a few of those in Utah, Arkansas, and West Virginia.

67 posted on 07/23/2004 12:24:21 PM PDT by mtbopfuyn
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To: jslade

Apparently, 19.


68 posted on 07/23/2004 12:26:15 PM PDT by Mr. Lucky
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To: dirtboy

*snicker*


69 posted on 07/23/2004 3:52:42 PM PDT by Darksheare (Road Killed Beeber Association, paving the world, one troll at a time...)
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To: dead

Seems that just shacking up would be safer in Iraq.


70 posted on 07/23/2004 9:50:41 PM PDT by F.J. Mitchell (I drove up behind a two horse trailer today- at first glance I thought Kerry & Edwards were in town.)
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To: dead

It's Bush's fault that there were no double yellow lines painted on the dirt road.


71 posted on 07/23/2004 9:55:34 PM PDT by armymarinemom (Ultimate Flip Flop->I support the Troops but not their mission)
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To: jriemer
All civilian and U.S. Army and Marine casualties in Iraq are multiplied by 3. All terrorist casualties are divided by 3. All terrorist planning committees are weddings. All terrorists are insurgents. (From the ABCCBSNBCCNNalJazeera war reporters field guide)
72 posted on 07/24/2004 1:01:06 AM PDT by jaykay (frustrated right wing infidel)
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To: dirtboy

I wonder if the guys in the tank even notice?? Those things have shock absorbers right?? =o)


73 posted on 07/24/2004 1:47:24 AM PDT by GeronL (Time for a Constitutional Amendment banning Government giving money away to anyone or anything...)
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To: Jonah Hex
And the lesson of the day, boys and girls, is: "Don't play Chicken with 70 tons of Detroit steel".

That's Brasilian steel.

74 posted on 07/24/2004 1:57:28 AM PDT by Rightwing Conspiratr1 (Lock-n-load!)
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To: nuffsenuff

"Why is this in the news?"

I work with the mother of the soldier driving the tank, she said, he didn't have a choice or a chance to take evasive action, he had to hit the van. He is very upset about it and could use some prayers. His name is Nathan.


75 posted on 07/24/2004 10:59:58 AM PDT by MontanaBeth (Conservative-says it all.)
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To: Jonah Hex

Yeaaaahhhh! :)


76 posted on 07/24/2004 11:02:40 AM PDT by Iberian
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To: Sloth

Come on Sloth. Let me download it. I love it, and I want it!!! Pretty please???


77 posted on 07/24/2004 11:09:11 AM PDT by tertiary01 (Can't the Dems ever offer a candidate that isn't a lawyer!!)
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To: TheCrusader

It's also all about that favorite Commie word: OPPRESSION!!!They just love to highlight instances of our OPPRESSION of the masses!!


78 posted on 07/24/2004 11:12:58 AM PDT by tertiary01 (Can't the Dems ever offer a candidate that isn't a lawyer!!)
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To: MontanaBeth

It's amazing that we have someone here at FreeRepublic that can give us some more information on this.

He certainly did not have time to take evasive action. Tell him it's not his fault he hit the van. Stuff like that happens from time to time. Sorry it had to happen to him, but it's not his fault. It's the fault of the driver in the van.

They also could not stop the tank to check out the damage to the people they hit, as that would have set them up for an ambush. Someone or several someones with AKs could have opened up on the tank crew once they were out of the tank, and then there would have been a dead tank crew and the bad guys would have a fully armed tank (plus the tank crews' weapons).

Again, it was the fault of the driver of the van. Nothing the driver of the tank could have done different.

I have faith that Nathan's sgt and platoon commander will explain this all to him. He'll unerstand with time.


79 posted on 07/24/2004 11:22:04 AM PDT by Screaming_Gerbil (Let's Roll...)
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To: MontanaBeth

I pray for our folks over there every day (especially the ones I know in 3/2 SBCT). I'll add Nathan to my list.

Please pass my thoughts and prayers to Nathan's mom. Thanks.

Jonah


80 posted on 07/24/2004 12:20:31 PM PDT by Jonah Hex (Only 5 cents a troll? Must be too many of the varmints around here...)
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