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."
Give this Marine a medal and the embedded reporter a good swift kick in the pants.
Since they'll prosecute you for kicking a dead body (I'm not kidding), I'm sure shooting one wouldn't be any better.
This is a good point. Even if the marine was guilty of a war crime, there is a broad range of punishment available. If his unit was the victim of booby traps or false surrrenders, and he was wounded, that would certainly mitigate any punishment he receives.
Sad to say, but believe this: this story will be spun into teh next Abu Graib, and terrorists will behead more civilians and use the murder of probably already dead terrorists as their excuse in the next videos
I wonder what the MSM would have done, had they been embedded with the Israelites, when Jehovah God told them to conquor, kill the men, women, children, and all the livestock? Come to think about it, if Moses had done what God instructed, the young marine wouldn't have had to go to Iraq.
And what about Elijah? Slaying all those Baal priests? Man, would that have made the headlines of the NYT?
Either you believe in the absolute of good vs. evil, or you, like Chris Matthews, believe the insurgents, ie. terrorists, just simply disagree with us. With the former conclusion, there can be no equivocation. Kill em all. With the latter, you can attempt to appease mankind into peace, until hell freezes over.
I work in the mutual fund industry and had an anagolous thing happen. Because of the late trades, unrelated operations got shut down.
So I get it. You are warned to not look stupid in front of the cameras. Got it completely.
That really sux. If that place were long stick bombed, with say six survivors, the we would not be having this conversation would we.
Btw, those mosques became forts once arms are placed in them.
I read them, I'm not buying it. in NYC, police officers shot a man 41 times for pulling a wallet out of his jacket - they walked at trial, and it was a stretch that there even was a trial. and you want this Marine to take a fall for this, inside this hellhole with these thugs trying to take them out at every turn, booby traps everywhere, having to go house to house and room to room to root them out? its not as if this Marine walked into some otherwise non threatening situation, and just started shooting people. you are entitled to your opinion, you won't convince me.
Look, I don't like the situation anymore than anybody else does. The place is a $hithole and the rules seem to mostly favor the enemy. Our guys have huge expectations placed on them to minimize and avoid unnecessary casualties.
ButI am a enough of a realist to recognize that this will be something that warrants investigation in this day and age. The court of public opinion will demand it as well as the military itself.
Anybody who thinks that war isn't fought with public opinion in mind at some level.....just isn't thinking.
Prairie
It's not prosecution of the Marine I'm worried about. I believe the system will work fine. What I'm worried about it the propaganda value of this video, because I know how it will be spun by the geriatrics formerly known as flowr children.
Amen on 480.
Oh my gosh. You're getting your facts from MICHAEL SAVAGE? You do need to get a grip. We have 10,000 Marine and soldiers currently spread throughout Fallujah, which is an area measuring about 3 miles by 3 miles. A single 2000lb bomb is lethal to anyone uncovered out to about half a mile. A 500lb bomb is good to about a quarter mile. In your world and Michael Savage's world I suppose we'd be slinging these all over the 9 square miles of Fallujah. But that is why people like Michael Savage are stuck spewing spittle into foam covered microphones, and the experts in our military get to run the war. Do your self a favor, and find a new "expert" to get your military facts from.
you have GOT to kidding on 482. We keep up that PC crap we will end up nuked, since nobody in their right mind will join the MArines.
I know, as Ollie said, this must be investigated, and my prayers are with this young Marine - and all our brave troops in harm's way.
It is shameful, even traitorous, in my judgement, the lengths our own media goes to in trying to undermine our troops, our President, our war effort, as they endanger our troops even more, and it makes me sick how they aid and abet our enemies.
I do hope the Iraqis do not buy into the propoganda our media will be spewing on this, and hopefully they won't as they've been the victims of these insurgents/terrorists and I do hope they see beyond the propoganda of our media.
the media does not have us by the throats. if they did, Kerry would have won the election in a landslide. if the election means anything to the administration - this should be the one time that they stand up and shout them down, if the MSM plays this into a "war crime". most americans will support them.
"The liberal elitists in the mainstream media are looking for another Abu Ghraib"
Unfortunately I think they just got it. They will gladly overlook the amazingly precise and humane work our Marines have been doing in order to sell papers and smear Pres Bush. It is sickening.
Believe me I have no interest in trying to convince you of anything at all. However I do also look at the larger picture in addition to recognizing all the personal circumstances of those involved.
And investigation will be held. If warranted a prosecution will occur. That's the reality.
Prairie
11th commandment.
Anyway, appeasing the media and moving the goalposts will suffocate our military and until a little nukie comes to a town near you.
He could have been thinking the terrorist was a homicide bomb booby trap.
Tell Ollie North to shut up, then, because of course you know better than his take on it, on Hannity.
I trust Ollie.
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