US Marines turn fire on civilians at the bridge of death (Should we believe this story?)

The Sunday Times ^ | March 30, 2003 | Mark Franchetti

[MEG33]

This is bumped for later read.

[JasonC]

From another thread, about an incident in Najaf today -

"US officials said that the troops ordered the van to stop. When it failed to slow down, they fired warning shots into the air. When the driver maintained speed, they fired into its engine. When that failed, they fired into the van itself."

This is from our military commanders. Darwin Award moments will and do happen in wartime. Civilians who do stupid things around heavily armed, good men in the middle of combat, like disobey orders to stop, get killed. No special openness to leftist propaganda involved, just willingness to face reality.

[JasonC]

Different. The van incident was today, in Najaf, with units of the 3rd Infantry division. This article is about an earlier period, farther southeast around Nasiriyah, with units of the Marines.

The similarity is, however, that civilians who do stupid things around our guys can and do endanger themselves.

[gcruse]

Believe it? War's a bitch. The sooner we can get the Candide's and the Pollyanna's to realize that war isn't Roadrunner Large, the less alarm they will feel over the duration when victory isn't immediate.

[zook]

ABC Radio reporting battle at this bridge. Says Iraqis pushed civilians onto bridge to become "human shields."

[gcruse]

The Iraqi military's depravity knows no bounds.

[SendShaqtoIraq]

"We are removing a cancer, and sometimes a bit of healthy tissue must be removed to make sure the cancer is completely excised."

Very good analogy.

[JasonC]

Any prospect of an admission from you or steplock that such incidents, whether true in this particular case or not, do happen and are happening, when locals do stupid things like disobey orders to stop at checkpoints? Any prospect of an apology to those here insulted just for facing such facts?

[JasonC]

Sorry, that should have been addressed to steplock, not to you. My mistake.

[JasonC]

See post 88 please.

[Publius6961]

Yes, I believe this story... .

.

.

.

...was planted.

and the useful idiots bought it hook, line and sinker.

[JasonC]

Fine. And the one confirmed by Central Command (the van)? And the several related by the reporter on Fox with the 3rd LAR? Is it so vast a conspiracy that not only Fox but even the Pentagon is in on it?

Civilians do dumb things around armed men in wartime. When they do, they sometimes get hurt.

[optik_b]

This is real stuff that happens in war not the antiseptic CNN crap.