Keep in mind that the truly evil New York Times wants us to hate Iraqis, to have Iraqis hate America, and for Americans to hate themselves. Then have a look at this piece of crap (the key line is "The interviews were conducted by an Iraqi employee of The New York Times."): Haditha Residents on Charged Marines: Let Us Have Them
Here are excerpts from interviews with residents of Haditha, Iraq, and two adjacent towns about the announcement of charges against four American marines in connection with the killings of two dozen Iraqi civilians there last year. Four other Marine officers were charged with failing to properly report information about the killings. The interviews were conducted by an Iraqi employee of The New York Times.
Dr. Waleed Al-Obeidi, 41, the director-general of Haditha hospital
“If they plan to implement justice, then we welcome this step to refer the eight marines to the court, but we have our doubts in American justice. The verdict will be life sentences for four of them and the other four will be released, according to what we heard in the media. They blamed one soldier in the killing of a whole family, while it was carnage. The Iraqi government should have summoned those soldiers and executed them.”
•
Tahseen Al-Hadithi, 51, cleric and imam of the Haditha mosque
“I prefer they won’t be executed, and to be handed over to Haditha people to get the punishment they deserve.”
Mr. Hadithi said this was not the only crime committed by American forces in Haditha, and noted that charges had been brought in similar incidents elsewhere in the country:
“This is the culture of the occupying marines in our country. If we go back and remember the funeral, and if President Bush could see the family, the children and the women and how the soldiers were moving from one house to another, killing them, what would his comment be? Execution is insufficient punishment to them, and I think they won’t be executed.”
•
Sheikh Bairam Affan, 69, leader of the Al-Mawali tribe in the nearby town of Barwana
“I went to the U.S. forces in my capacity as a tribal sheikh along with other sheikhs after the massacre and asked the Americans to leave because we can not stop the resistance from attacking them in this area. I said to one of the American commanders if you kill people the same way as you did whenever you are attacked then no one will remain in Haditha.’
“They should get the death sentence because they carried out planned executions.”
•
Abu Ali, 29, a shop owner in the nearby town of Haqlaniya
“We don’t want them executed in the U.S. Let them bring them here in Haditha and we will tear them apart.”
•
Noor Laeq, 34, a lawyer who owns a computer and stationary shop in Haqlaniya
“I believe that the sentence will be issued against four of the accused, only. They will cover for the others. The accused will get life sentences, and it is not enough. The whole unit should be put into trial. We expect the same thing that happened in Abu Ghraib, when they convicted low-ranking officers and the higher ones got away. We demand that George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and the Iraqi government should be tried.”
(2006-12-22) — A day after eight U.S. Marines were charged in connection with the killing of 20 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November, al Qaeda and Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr announced they would begin prosecuting their own fighters who “inadvertently cause civilian deaths” in a series of “jihadi atrocity trials.” On the morning of November 19, 2005, Marines in a convoy responded to an ambush that killed a member of their unit by conducting a house-to-house search for enemy fighters, who often hide among women and children, and always dress as civilians. If convicted by a military tribunal of unpremeditated murder, four of the Marines charged could face life in prison.
In a joint statement, Mr. al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army and al-Qaeda in Iraq said, “If the Great Satan can bring its troops to justice for violating rules of engagement, then so can we. It’s against our rules and our religion to inadvertently kill innocent civilians in war time.”
“We will prosecute any suicide bomber who accidentally, rather than intentionally, kills civilians,” the statement said. “We have sent them to commit premeditated atrocity and massacre and we expect them to operate according to those rules of engagement.”
The terror groups acknowledged they may have to conduct some of the trials posthumously, “but if any of our martyrs are found guilty, we can always execute justice on their surviving relatives.”
Typical NY Slimes, it's their version of being fair and balanced. They give the terrorist insurgents their chance to impugn our troops on our home soil.
I love these interviews with the residents of Haditha, Haqlaniyah and Barwana. We've lost at least 40 to 50 troops in that neighborhood. To those in Haqlaniyah, I say you and your kin had to know what was coming down the night of 1/26/2005. There's no way that an estimated 30-60 terrorists are going to assemble and execute a well-planned ambush in such a small town without someone knowing about it. You didn't care then, why should we care now? I'd be happy to meet with you in Hell and compare notes.