Posted on 05/24/2004 12:43:07 AM PDT by manwiththeplan
A videotape has been broadcast which purports to show before-and-after footage of a wedding which Iraqis say the US attacked, killing about 40. The film, broadcast by Associated Press Television News, knits together a home movie of a wedding and APTN video of the aftermath of Wednesday's attack.
Some victims and survivors of the air strike appear to be present in the footage of the wedding celebrations.
The US has insisted its target was not a wedding but foreign fighters.
It says that its soldiers were responding to fire and there was no evidence of a wedding.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday at the village of Makr al-Deeb, in desert near the Syrian border.
Associated Press has stressed that it cannot confirm the authenticity of the video of the wedding celebrations.
'Traditional wedding'
The agency says the material broadcast was taken from several hours of footage allegedly filmed by Yasser Shawkat Abdullah, hired to record the festivities.
He was among those killed, it says.
The film opens with gleaming pick-up trucks - some decorated with ribbons - speeding through the desert apparently en route to the wedding.
They arrive at the celebrations to the sounds of guns being fired in the air - a traditional celebration - and ululating.
The film then shows men dancing along to the music of Hussein al-Ali, a popular wedding singer also hired for the occasion.
Ali and his brother Mohamed were buried in Baghdad on Thursday, mourners said.
Clearly visible on the wedding footage is a man playing electric organ.
The footage is spliced with APTN film of the face of a corpse after the attack. It appears to be the same man, wearing the same shirt.
AP says a reporter and a photographer who interviewed more than a dozen survivors a day after the bombing were able to identify many of them on the wedding party video.
It also says its footage of the scene following the attack shows remnants of musical instruments, pots and pans, and brightly coloured beddings used for celebrations, scattered around a bombed-out tent.
Survivors of the attack have told journalists the wedding party had ended and guests were in bed when bombing began.
When people ran out of their homes, they allege they were shot at by Americans.
They say over 40 people died, including at least 10 children.
But these allegations have been vehemently and repeatedly denied by US forces in Iraq.
'No evidence'
"There was no evidence of a wedding: no decorations, no musical instruments found, no large quantities of food or leftover servings one would expect from a wedding celebration," Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the chief US military spokesman in Iraq, said on Saturday.
"The men were almost all military-aged, no family elders that one would expect to see at an event of this type," he said.
He has denied any children were killed in the attack.
Gen Kimmitt said the site looked "somewhat of a dormitory. There were more than 300 sets of bedding gear in it and about 100 sets of pre-packaged clothing.
"It's suspected that when foreign fighters come in from other countries they change their clothes into typical Iraqi clothing sets."
He said ID-making machines and "the capability to make exit visas for Iraq" were among suspicious items found.
There has been no specific response as yet to the footage released by APTN.
I guess that was the point in my first post on the terrorist wedding bombing or whatever it was. Kimmit is very stiff and awkward in explaining stuff to the press and the public. If each one of his briefings, the general comes across like a lieutenant colonel not wanting to mess up his chances for promotion to full colonel.
Meanwhile, Nick Berg was beheaded in cold blood by Islamic terrorists in case no one noticed.
"i saw plenty of pictures on TV the other night of dead kids. Yeah I'd say there were kids there."
"U.S.: No evidence of wedding at attack site" (CNN)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/22/iraq.main/index.html
Hey, if they are collateral damage, it's a different story. I mean, they're not your target, and one can reasonably think you've done your best not to endanger them.
True, but this does not adress the "ten children who would have grown up to crash planes into our buildings" comment. This comment did not adress the veracity of the presence of children, it just meant "oh, why should we care about killing children since these children would have become terrorists anyway".
You're so busy being a bleeding heart, and getting your self-righteous indignation worked up that you've forgetten something. There were children among the dead on Sept. 11, 2001. Talk to me about those children!
From your page: "All right, where to begin ? I'm a 34 year-old Frenchman - and yep, French as a frigging frog." That says it all. For the record Frenchie, it's hard to avoid killing the "innocent little children" when the terrorist are hiding amongst them to shoot at our troops! I'm just saying that the collateral damage is no great tragedy. These children are raised from birth to be terrorists. Check out post #63.
It's hard for me to believe that Frenchmen were once real men that explored, and colonized a large part of the Americas. You need to get back to your roots pal!
Since we're into personal attacks, it's also hard for me to think someone who thinks along the lines of "There weren't any children killed but even if there were these so-called innocent children would have become terrorists anyway" has been raised in a modern and Christian country, but heck, I suppose we'll all have to live with our little disappointments...
Christianity is not the problem here. Prior to September 11th Americans were just going about living our lives. We didn't attack the Muslims-- THEY attacked US!!! Your posts reflect a complete ignorance of Islam. I suggest you educate yourself on the subject.
Start by reading the Koran, and pay close attention to the parts about making "...war on non-believers," and "...striking off the heads of non-believers."
You Frenchies think that by wimping out you will avoid confrontations with Terrorists. Your September 11th is coming! So is Spain's!!
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