hearts and minds
Sep. 12th, 2003 10:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sisyphusshruggedU.S. soldiers mistakenly opened fire on a group of Iraqi policemen chasing bandits Friday, killing eight Iraqis and wounding seven others, witnesses said. It was the deadliest friendly fire incident since the end of major fighting.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a firefight during a raid earlier Friday in the town of Ramadi, 30 miles west of Fallujah, the military said.
The Fallujah region has been one of the most dangerous for U.S. soldiers, with support for Saddam Hussein running strong in the area.
In the Fallujah shooting, 25 policemen in two pickup trucks and a sedan were chasing a white BMW known to have been used by highway bandits, said Asem Mohammed, a 23-year-old police sergeant who was among the injured.
As the chase neared a checkpoint near the Jordanian Hospital on the west side of Fallujah, 30 miles west of Baghdad, the police turned around and an American Humvee opened fire, Mohammed said. It was not immediately clear if any shots were fired at the Americans.
"We were chasing a white BMW with bandits. We turned around in front of Jordanian Hospital and some American forces started shooting at us," Mohammed said.
Dr. Dial Jumaili, who came to treat the wounded, said there were eight dead policemen. He said two of the injured were in serious condition. Five other people were injured in the shooting, including a guard at the Jordanian Hospital.
The U.S. military provided no information on the incident.
Hard to blame the soldiers. We didn't train them for this.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a firefight during a raid earlier Friday in the town of Ramadi, 30 miles west of Fallujah, the military said.
The Fallujah region has been one of the most dangerous for U.S. soldiers, with support for Saddam Hussein running strong in the area.
In the Fallujah shooting, 25 policemen in two pickup trucks and a sedan were chasing a white BMW known to have been used by highway bandits, said Asem Mohammed, a 23-year-old police sergeant who was among the injured.
As the chase neared a checkpoint near the Jordanian Hospital on the west side of Fallujah, 30 miles west of Baghdad, the police turned around and an American Humvee opened fire, Mohammed said. It was not immediately clear if any shots were fired at the Americans.
"We were chasing a white BMW with bandits. We turned around in front of Jordanian Hospital and some American forces started shooting at us," Mohammed said.
Dr. Dial Jumaili, who came to treat the wounded, said there were eight dead policemen. He said two of the injured were in serious condition. Five other people were injured in the shooting, including a guard at the Jordanian Hospital.
The U.S. military provided no information on the incident.
Hard to blame the soldiers. We didn't train them for this.
Hearts and minds
Date: 2003-09-14 04:53 am (UTC)