[PoisedWoman]

I saw it on tv.....the troops were just squatting down facing the crowd, not the shrine. Not kneeling or bowing, just doing a deep-knee bend kind of movement to demonstrate that they were not going into the shrine and had no plans to shoot up anyone or anything. The crowd didn't understand English, but they understood the benign gesture. It was effective, the mob stopped shouting and threatening them. No big deal.

[george wythe]

I saw it on tv.....the troops were just squatting down facing the crowd, not the shrine. Not kneeling or bowing, just doing a deep-knee bend kind of movement to demonstrate that they were not going into the shrine and had no plans to shoot up anyone or anything.

The crowd didn't understand English, but they understood the benign gesture. It was effective, the mob stopped shouting and threatening them.

Thanks for adding this, since I did not see it on TV

[MoralSense]

Yes, and the film also showed the commander blowing a series of two blasts on a whistle, and the troops obeying instantly. This was probably a prepared response -- and the right one, obviously.

[bvw]

It sure looked to me like they knelt and bowed. The commander did bow.

[Hila]

Squatting, better than kneeling that would have been a sign of deference to their false religion. Maybe there are chemical weapons in the mosques, as some have suggested.