Posted on 03/29/2006 8:30:24 PM PST by jmc1969
The Iraqi commander during a controversial raid by American and Iraq forces is backing the U.S. version of a battle that left 16 Iraqis dead, Lara Logan reports.
In an exclusive interview with CBS, the Iraqi commander says accusations that U.S. forces killed innocent civilians in Sunday's raid on a building in Baghdad were "not true."
Accounts of the Baghdad raid varied. Aides to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said 18 men were killed in the joint U.S.-Iraqi raid on a mosque. The Americans said Iraqi special forces backed by U.S. troops killed 16 "insurgents" in a raid on a community meeting hall after gunmen opened fire on approaching troops.
The commander insisted his Iraqi Special Operations troops had to fight their way into the target building where they killed gunmen guarding a hostage and found various weapons including rocket launchers and heavy machine guns.
"We know this, the building, is used for to capture the civilians, the civilian people, by bad guys and they need money," the commander tells Logan.
A man who claims he was held hostage in the building, says of his captors, "They beat me, they kicked me and they used an electric drill on me. I thought I was going to die."
At one point during the emotional interview, he broke down and had to be comforted, Logan notes. When asked about the militia men who were holding him, he said he was too terrified to say anything about them.
"If you go to the streets and see all the people who have left their houses and if you go to the morgue and see all the bodies then you will understand," he says.
For security reasons, neither the Iraqi commander or alleged hostage would reveal their names or if they were Sunni or Shiite.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
I guess by this account that there are nothing but bad guys occupying those houses. Piece of cake, just level the city.
I saw this. Surprisingly for CBS, the interview was actually very good and pretty long. Both Iraqis made strong and very convincing statements about the enemy using the mosque as a armed camp and that it was Iraqi, not US forces, that conducted the actual assault.
A non-US soldier is verifying it, so now Chrissy Matthews, Pat Buchanan and their ilk will believe it. Before, when it was only Americans claiming this, it was suspect.
One wonders why Muqtada al-Sadr is still alive.
Here is the vid of news report with the hostage and the Iraqi Army commander its a good one.
http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/vplayer2/play.pl?type=rm&prod=popup&arena=video&feat=vplayer&adtype=pre&id=1454631n&ord=77958.2335990842
Sorry to see that all of the 'BS networks need the confirmation of an Iraqi soldier, to believe U.S. Military!
This controversy is silly. You hust have to understand definitions. By generally accepted MSM definition, persons killed by American or allied troops are innocent civilians. An insurgent is issued his separation from the Insurgent Forces 5 minutes prior to demise.
We have been paying greatly for not killing him the chances that we had. Hopefully, we won't have to pay the ultimate price. And, that would be a pro-Iranian Iraq that works with Iran to spread their insanity around the Middle East.
"A man who claims he was held hostage in the building, says of his captors..."
The "claims" has to be in there since he backs up the US/Iraqi version. I'm sure he was extremely grateful to be rescued and most likely went on and on about how great and brave the US/Iraqi troops are but it just didn't make the article.
Yeah, it was long because they are pushing the idea of a civil war, and the description by the hostage that "If you go to the streets and see all the people who have left their houses and if you go to the morgue and see all the bodies then you will understand" plays into the CBS/media/Demibat position that there is a civil war, and that it is all Bush's fault.
LOL, well fool me once, shame on me!!!
We have an amazing start to it, but there remains more work to be done to rid the land of saddam's iron fist. As Rome wasn't built in a day, neither is a free Iraq. God bless those who fight for the right.
Our country has the best snipers in the world...why are the mullah's in Iran still alive???
Bc there is more to a mission than just sending in two snipers. Watch Clear and Present Danger to see how Dems can $uck up a perfectly good recon mission. Anyway if they got caught (and paraded), well..the Dems would have a field day.
Thanks for the ping...CBS getting smarter?
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