The right-wingers like to call it "collateral damage." There are others of us who served in the U.S. military who call it "FUBAR."
Whatever definition one chooses doesn't make any difference. The bottom line is the U.S. military is making more enemies than friends in Iraq with the senseless killing of more Iraqi citizens.
Commentary by Bill Corcoran, editor of this blog.
Military: 9 Iraqi civilians accidentally killed
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_civilians_080204/
By Lauren Frayer - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Feb 4, 2008 10:41:27 EST
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military said Monday that it had accidentally killed nine Iraqi civilians during an operation targeting al-Qaida in Iraq, the deadliest known case of mistaken identity in recent months.
The civilians were killed Saturday near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of the Baghdad, Navy Lt. Patrick Evans told The Associated Press. Three wounded civilians were taken to U.S. military hospitals nearby, he said.
Evans did not give details about exactly how the people died but said the killings occurred as U.S. forces pursued suspected al-Qaida in Iraq militants. The incident is under investigation, he said.
Iraqi police said the victims, including two women, were in two houses in the village of Tal al-Samar, which was bombed by American warplanes late Saturday. They were all Sunni, an officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
The U.S. airstrike occurred after an American convoy came under enemy fire in Tal al-Samar and soldiers called for air support, the Iraqi officer said.
Shortly after the incident, American officers met with a Muslim sheik representing citizens in the area, Evans said.
“We offer our condolences to the families of those who were killed in this incident, and we mourn the loss of innocent civilian life,” he said in a statement e-mailed to the AP.
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