Posted on 11/15/2004 3:56:58 PM PST by Kaslin
LONDON (Reuters) - A television pool report by U.S. network NBC said on Monday that a U.S. Marine had shot dead an unarmed and wounded Iraqi prisoner in a mosque in Falluja.
The Iraqi was one of five wounded prisoners left in the mosque after Marines had fought their way in on Friday and Saturday. There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon (news - web sites) on the report.
U.S. forces launched an offensive one week ago on Falluja, and have gained overall control of the formerly rebel-held city, although scattered resistance remains.
The pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it and an adjacent building, killing 10 militants and wounding the five.
Sites said the wounded had been left in the mosque for others to pick up and move to the rear for treatment. No reason was given why that had not happened.
A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be already close to death, Sites said.
He said one Marine noticed one of the prisoners was still breathing.
A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's fucking faking he's dead. He faking he's fucking dead."
"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head. The pictures are too graphic for us to broadcast," Sites said. No images of the shooting were shown in the footage provided to Reuters.
The report said the Marine, who had returned to duty after being shot in the face a day earlier, had been removed from the field and was being questioned by the U.S. military.
Sites said the shot prisoner "did not appear to be armed or threatening in any way."
It's war
Like I said, I haven't seen the video and it may very well have been justified. But I think if you shoot a wounded guy laying on the ground on camera, it's likely you're going to end up being punished as a result.
I suggest you take up arms and go fight with the Marines everyday in places like Fallujah for a year or so, (mabey even do a couple of tours like many of them do), then come back and YOU tell us what he might have been thinking.
As for me, I already know what he was thinking, the terrorist trash he killed was payback for the friends he saw felled by other terrorists, or perhaps by this man himself. These Marines and soldiers not only see their own guys harmed and killed, they see what these murderous scumbag terrorists do to their own people every single day. To me the only surprise is that this doesn't occur far more often. AND IT DOES NOT MAKE ME SHED ONE SINGLE TEAR FOR THE DEAD TERRORIST.
In a war zone, an armed combatant who is not wearing a recognized military uniform can be summarily executed. Lawfully.
That is all.
Anybody been able to find a link to the unedited video?
The media doesn't seem to discuss the prosecution of Sgt. Akbar's murder of American soldiers with nearly the same zeal as they are promoting this story.
On the face of it, the Marine's actions were wrong, and it sounds like he will be disciplined for it.
NBC would have had apolexy had Bush ever questioned Kerry recieving one of these for essentially the same thing.
They are breathlessly reporting this minor incident now, because they are anti-American, and love demoralizing the U.S. in general, and the military in particular.
? They were surrounded. They could have surrendered. They didn't. THey lost.
The swifties came to KErry's DEFENSE on this issue when he ran against Weld.
38 Marines dead.
If we had just firebombed the place with no warning, much more iraq dead (including 'civilians') without having to put up with crap.
Michael Savage has picked up on this incident and is commenting on it right now.
If you can tune in.
Getting a little tired of these public MEDIA hanging's of our troops in a time of and heat of battle against a non military scumbag terrorist.
--
Yes I am. In a war zone it is exactly that. War is NOT pretty. War is the absolute ugliest part of our human exsistance. Yet, it is a necessary arbitor in cases like this where the other side wishes to inflict pain and suffering on us as much as possible. It is either us or them.
You know, that newsclip reminded me of the captured German in "Saving Private Ryan" who was allowed to walk away free, only to kill some of those same Americans later. I just can't seem to find any sympathy for these terrorists, regardless of how we find them.
Let me guess- Its shep the girlie man lib from ole Miss.
This really ticks me off.
And MAtthews and ALL of the MSM make such a big
deal about it.
The hero was just shot y'day.
Perhaps the real problem is that embedded journalists can easily take things out of context, and shouldn't be allowed on the front lines.
What is he saying?
"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."
Robert E. Lee
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
