Hundreds of Civilian Deaths in Iraq Were Preventable

Human Rights Watch ^ | 12/13/2003 | Gouda

[Gouda]

(New York, December 12, 2003) – Hundreds of civilian deaths in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq could have been prevented by abandoning two misguided military tactics, Human Rights Watch said in a comprehensive new report released today.

The use of cluster munitions in populated areas caused more civilian casualties than any other factor in the coalition´s conduct of major military operations in March and April, Human Rights Watch said. U.S. and British forces used almost 13,000 cluster munitions, containing nearly 2 million submunitions, that killed or wounded more than 1,000 civilians.

Meanwhile, 50 strikes on top Iraqi leaders failed to kill any of the intended targets, but instead killed dozens of civilians, the Human Rights Watch report revealed.

On April 7 a “decapitation” attack, apparently targeting addam Hussein on the basis of a satellite phone intercept, killed 18 civilians and destroyed three homes in the Mansur neighborhood of Baghdad. Residents said there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein or any members of the Iraqi government had been there.

<...>

“The decapitation strategy was an utter failure on military grounds, since it didn´t kill a single Iraqi leader in 50 attempts,” said Roth. “But it also failed on human rights grounds. It´s no good using a precise weapon if the target hasn´t been located precisely.”

Full article on http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/12/us-iraq-press.htm

[finnman69]

Thousands of deaths were preventable, if groups like Human Rights watch were not around.

[quidnunc]

Tens of thousands more Iraqi deaths would have been prevented if we had whacked Saddam years earlier.

[January24th]

Apparently, just by checking on those hundreds of mass graves, we can assume thousands more civilian deaths WERE prevented by ousting Saddam. Hussein IS a weapon of mass destruction.

[Gouda]

Sorry, I just found another article on this issue HERE

[expatpat]

This is a pretty cheesy post, Gouda.

[Flightdeck]

As if Human Rights Watch has the intelligence capability to know what was successful and what wasn't.

[sarasmom]

Hundreds of thousands, no wait, millions of deaths might have been prevented if Saddam Hussein had never been born!

We should learn from history.
Disband groups like the UN, before they cause millions of deaths-oh wait too late!
Oh well, disband the UN now, and prevent billions of future deaths!

[Gouda]

As if Human Rights Watch has the intelligence capability to know what was successful and what wasn't.

From the original article:
Human Rights Watch sent a team of researchers to Iraq between April 29 and June 1 to investigate civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The team focused on the main areas of fighting in the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys. Team members visited 10 cities and conducted more than 200 interviews with victims and their families, Iraqi doctors, U.S. and British military personnel, and others.

The researchers inspected dozens of bombsites, as well as fields and neighborhoods littered with unexploded cluster submunitions. They evaluated ballistics evidence and hospital records. The researchers also obtained U.S. Department of Defense data that enabled them to pinpoint the locations of cluster-munition strikes.

[Capitalist Eric]

Projectile-VOMIT Alert!!!

[pfflier]

300,000 deaths would have been preventable if Human Watch had been watching Saddam Hussein instead of bashing the liberators of Iraq.

[Gouda]

Tens of thousands more Iraqi deaths would have been prevented if we had whacked Saddam years earlier.

Tens of thousands Iranians would have been prevented if you hadn't helped Saddam even earlier than that.

[Flightdeck]

and they did all that blinded by political bias. Regardless, I doubt any of that intelligence work would have determined if we shredded some lowlife general who was disguised as an old lady. The whole point is moot, anyway, because the people they interviewed no longer have to worry about looking down into a pit full of decomposing bodies before their head gets lopped off and their next family member steps up.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Thousands of deaths were preventable right here in the USA...whats their point?

[Flightdeck]

We only helped Saddam and Khomeini kill each other. Nothing wrong with that.

[Gouda]

We only helped Saddam and Khomeini kill each other. Nothing wrong with that.

...and failed. Again.

[Flightdeck]

The unfortunate thing about your feelings is that they are well-place yet extremely off base. You seem to be advocating the innocent victims of this war, which is fine, but you are blinded by a huge illusion. Namely, that George Bush and Co. wanted to go to war. Most of us understand that this was his last choice; that war was an extremely hard thing for him and any of us (me) to support, but we realized it was the lesser of two (several) evils. The mass graves that have been found, which hold more than 300,000 bodies so far, are not an illusion, on the other hand. Saddam has been blamed for more than a million and a half murders, and no matter what you think we should have done back in the 80's or 90's, this was the right thing to do, now.

[11B3]

Cluster munitions.....Should've used MOABs instead so that bleeding hearts wouldn't have had anyone to interview evidently.

This conflict was carried out to minimize both coalition casualties as well as civilian death. Where was this oversight of Grozny???? The ANSWER agenda of Human Rights Watch - and of yours personally - is showing, and is not well received in here. Maybe it's the wrong venue for this tripe - try Moveon.org or DU, troll.

[11B3]

Check out the "In Forum" link at Gouda's page, and you'll see that this individual is merely an Islamist troll.

Ignore all future posts from Gouda.

[VOA]

Residents said there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein or any members of the Iraqi
government had been there.

How could we have been so blind?
Everyone knows that the residents of the Mansur area of Baghdad are totally unbiased
and totally truthful, even if the area is thick with Saddam supporters and
was a favorite place for Saddam and his murdering buddies to eat out
and just hang with like-minded folks.

Nope, Saddam couldn't have possibly been there.
Ever.
Honest!
(the same goes for the "triangle" region...that's why there's so much violence there...
it's all the fault of the US/Coalition imagining the place is thick with Saddam's
butt-boys and Baathist dead-enders...)
(end sarcasm)