Bigley's killers claim responsibility for Black Watch suicide bombing.

scotsman.com ^ | Sat 6 Nov 2004 | IAN JOHNSTON and GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN

[dinok]

Paul Lowe, right, with cousin Barry, left, and brother Craig. Paul was killed two days ago. Picture: Tim Ockenden/ PA

THE killers of the British hostage Kenneth Bigley last night claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on the Black Watch in Iraq in which three soldiers died.

The followers of the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said they carried out the bombing on Thursday, according to a statement on an Islamic website.

Iraq’s most wanted group made the chilling claim as a bitter political row broke out at home over the regiment’s re-deployment in support of American troops.

On a day when the 12-year-old daughter of Sergeant Stuart Gray broke down while laying flowers in her father’s memory there were vitriolic political exchanges, in particular between Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, and the SNP leader, Alex Salmond.

The veteran nationalist said "a tide of anger" was sweeping across Scotland, and repeated accusations that the Black Watch’s deployment into the Sunni Triangle near Baghdad had been a political favour to the US president, George Bush.

A furious Mr Hoon said Mr Salmond’s remarks "demonstrate clearly there are no depths to which he will not sink", and accused him of trying to score political points over the deaths of Sgt Gray, 31, Private Scott McArdle, 22, and Private Paul Lowe, 19, all from Fife.

Meanwhile in Iraq, the Black Watch’s commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel James Cowan said that while the regiment was "saddened" over the loss of their comrades in the suicide-bomb attack and ambush, they would "not be deterred from seeing our task through".

[dinok]

There brave young men died in this war against Arab and Muslim terrorism to protect all of us. I see no difference in one of their faces than those of American, Italian, Iraqi, Polish or any other coalition war dead. People who are making a political of their deployment to central Iraq are sickening.

I have a dead uncle buried in France. He didn't ask why he had to interupt his life to serve and eventually go die in Europe. He went and paid the ultimate price. I let no one say that his death was wasted on the French. I will not let anyone dishonor my uncle's death. I'll be damned if we should let anyone say that the death of these three young soldiers was wasted either. They deserve better. God be with you Black Watch.

[Max Combined]

"I'll be damned if we should let anyone say that the death of these three young soldiers was wasted either."

Did you read the whole article?

"The government also came under attack from relatives of the dead privates. Pte Lowe’s brother Craig, 18, a serving soldier in the Black Watch currently in the UK, called for the urgent withdrawal of troops from Iraq to prevent the loss of any more lives in a war that his brother thought was "over nothing" apart from "money and oil"."

The full quote is "one of the dead soldier's brothers - himself a Black Watch private - who called President Bush "an a***hole" for starting a "war over nothing"."

and

But he told the Scottish Press Association: "He thought they shouldn't be there, they should all just be back here because it's a war which nobody knows why it was started or what it was done for."

Private Lowe said that his brother had thought little of Mr Bush and his reasons for going to war. He said "He just thought he was an a***hole for starting a war over nothing, trying to get money and oil.

"That’s what we thought ourselves, that’s what Paul thought as well, we all thought that. I think they should just get them all out of there now because if not we are going to lose a lot more than this."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1271587/posts

[Marine_Uncle]

All I can say is, I have a bad feeling the Z-man is not holed up in Fallujah and therefore will not be eliminated once our forces remove all insurgents in Fallujah soon.
I bet the snake is holed up in some plush hotel in Syria or Jordan giving orders via. Internet to his goons.
No reponse required. It will lead nowhere constructive at this point. Just a thought.

[dinok]

Yes I did read the whole thing.
That soldier who called Bush an A**hole would have said it in German if my uncle had not died to keep Britain from loosing to the Germans.

[demecleze]

These are Scots.

I hope they get used in the attack on Falluja.

[Destro]

Scotland/England was not saved from German invasion by America. The Battle of Britain was won without any direct American help. Secondly, you just besmirched a serving Black Watch soldier and you insulted the killed Black Watch soldier who held the same view as his brother. Because the UK's soldiers serve in Iraq does not mean they care for the mission - they are professionals who do as their nation asks. We should try to avoid using soldier deaths for propaganda points.

[Max Combined]

"Secondly, you just besmirched a serving Black Watch soldier and you insulted the killed Black Watch soldier who held the same view as his brother."

By quoting him?

[Destro]

bump

[Destro]

Was talking about the other posters words.

[Destro]

I have a dead uncle buried in France. He didn't ask why he had to interupt his life to serve and eventually go die in Europe.

He did not? What was he a Hessian? I would hope all free men question theirleaders for the reasons they went to war as is the right of free men.

I don't think your observation of your dead uncle was correct. His generation did ask why they went - and knew it as well. Germany declared war on America. His elected representatives accepted the declaration of war and voted accordingly. Your dead and heroic unlce I will postulate knew and accepted the reasons for him being in the military.

[Guenevere]

#9..Which words didn't you like?....

The other poster said...God be with you Black Watch...

[Destro]

The poster above insulted the same people he was praising because as serving soldiers in the Black Watch they insulted Bush and are against the Iraqi mission.

We are not a totalitarian nation - we should accept that soldiers don't agree with the missions t ehy are asked to undertake and praise their professionalisim for accepting orders and doing things that go against their views.

In a democracy the bravest act one can do is to risk your life for a mission/cause you disagree with to preserve the system. It is easy to fight for your cause - harder to fight for someone elses.

[Destro]

Putting it out there:

I was/am pro Iraq invasion - overthrow of Saddam.

But I never considered it as part of the war on terror/al-Qaeda.

Afghanistan is the place where we went to fight the terrorists and to me Iraq is not such a place. Iraq to me was a separate war at the start. Since the invasion al-Qaeda like elements have risen in Iraq so in some cases I do consider what we do in Iraq as a war on terror but when we fight Sadr's Shiite militia men - that is not a war on terrorists just on local bad guys who fight for local reasons.

[Guenevere]

Your supposition does not ring true! ....

..these soldiers are not fighting for someone else's cause!!!...

We are all in this together.....and there is just as much at stake for England (if not more) as the rest of us.

And it was disrespectful for this soldier or his brother to publicly badmouth our President!

Please remember England has lost less than 100 good men.----100 too many for sure...

...We have lost over a 1000 of our military!!!!!!!

I don't appreciate anyone using such foul, crude language toward our President...

..

[Guenevere]

#13...Well, you finally show your true colors.

End of conversation.

[Destro]

That soldier and his dead brother (also a soldier) do not feel as you do is my point. Are you to send them to a re-educate camp? Is it not enough to thank them for their sacrifice?

[Destro]

Yea, I am no boot licker walk in stepper type. Your type puzzle me. I am for the same mission you are but because I don't accept an aspect of its rationale I can be branded a heretic. PS: We went to war over Saddam's refusal to abide by the inspection regime (it does not matter if no WMD were found - he was not letting us look as we wished to look). We did not go to war to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq. That is the official record and reason given to our congress and the UN.

[dinok]

"What was he a Hessian? I would hope all free men question theirleaders for the reasons they went to war as is the right of free men. "

I think you are off in left filed on this. My point is that this war is a war for us all. Its not an American war as some in Europe say. No more than World war I and II were European wars. Our common enemies need to be stopped and out soldiers die for so that we can have the right to have this discussion.

I did not say we should not question. But once wars have started they should be won.

[Destro]

The position of the left is not to question. You don't lose your right to question when wars begin. If so govts would wage perpetual wars so they can have power over the people in perpetuity.

[Nightshift]

We really do not know if this was said by the brother who was killed, only what the living brother says he said. So let says it's true, you don't bad mouth any leader publicly, (which was not done by the soldier, but his brother, who has that right)even if you don't agree. This will only cause problems in the ranks. I commend this brave young man for doing what was asked of him, (my prayers for his family), even if he disagreed with current politial veiws. As soldiers, we follow orders and if the soldier disagree that strongly, then he needs to get out or even better not to enlist (unless he was drafted).

as to al-qaeda, training camps were found, showing that Saddam was intrested,whether or not he personaly was involved with remains to be discovered, Since al-qaeda is there now, we need to take care of them now, while we can.

I personaly believe there were WMD, but were moved or hidden prior to the invasion. Saddam used WMD on his own people, this is a fact, so we know he had them.

Saddam moved or hid them, thinking the UN would intervene and he would stay in power and get them back, however he did not remain in power. The WMD are somewhere, we will find them someday. This is just my thoughts on WMD.

USMC Retired