Iraqi general killed by US at checkpoint.

abc.net.au
The deputy commander of the Iraqi army in western Al-Anbar province was shot dead by US troops at a checkpoint Tuesday night, a police officer said.

"The US forces opened fire at 8:00 pm on Brigadier General Ismail Swayed al-Obeid, who had left his base in Baghdadi to head home," police Captain Amin al-Hitti said.

"They spotted him on the road after the curfew, which goes into effect at 6pm," the officer said in Baghdadi, 185 kilometres west of the capital.

The guy was driving after curfew but I don't think that's an excuse to kill someone.
I doubt the Iraqi forces who served under him will be happy about his death.

You'd think they would be a little more careful after the Sgrena incident.

All the more reason for the iraqis to make sure that the insurgents don't keep the US there even longer.

Originally posted by Nygdan
All the more reason for the iraqis to make sure that the insurgents don't keep the US there even longer.

You're assuming they're going to leave when things calm down.
A look at the history of the US military will show that doesn't happen.

You'd think they would be a little more careful after the Sgrena incident.

Actually Ace, thats why they shot him. And Sgrena too. They are EXTREMELY carefull after the incidents....Just not the Sgrena incident. You see, they are carefull because of all the dozens and dozens and dozens of all the TERRORIST SUICIDE incidents.

Ace, if I threw a ball and hit you in the face over and over and over again, how many times would it take for you to put your arms up to block that ball?

[edit on 15-3-2005 by skippytjc]

[edit on 15-3-2005 by skippytjc]

Originally posted by skippytjc
Ace, if I threw a ball and hit you in the face over and over and over again, how many times would it take for you to put your arms up to black that ball?

It would only take once time and then I would demand that you stop occupying my country and hitting me in the face with your balls.



[edit on 15-3-2005 by AceOfBase]

Originally posted by AceOfBase
You're assuming they're going to leave when things calm down.
A look at the history of the US military will show that doesn't happen.

The US stayed in japan and germany to protect them from the soviets. The Iranians aren't nearly as much of a threat, if at all really, and certainly the populations in iraq are very different from the more welcoming and accepting germans. I very much doubt that the US will stay in iraq once their military can deal with the insurgents.

skippytjc
They are EXTREMELY carefull after the incidents

Indeed, they are careful so as not to get shot themselves, which they should be careful about. Anyone in iraq is there at their own risk. Obviously this is getting out of hand tho. If a major free iraqi general can't deal with the checkpoints properly, can anyone? Perhaps they need to be structured a different way. I've even heard that they are double check points, with iraqi military at the front, US afterwards, and that the Iraqis will often wave people thru, and that this might be leading to the confusion and death. Regardless, there has to be a better way to man these checkpoints. Perhaps more can be run by the iraqis.

Of course, that would require more funding, and why fight a war with proper funding right?

two sides to every story...

we don't know what he was doing out after curfew and we don't know if he might have ignored any questions or warnings from the troops..

Originally posted by AceOfBase

Originally posted by skippytjc
Ace, if I threw a ball and hit you in the face over and over and over again, how many times would it take for you to put your arms up to black that ball?

It would only take once time and then I would demand that you stop occupying my country hitting me in the face with your balls.

[edit on 15-3-2005 by AceOfBase]

LOL, fair enough. Ace, I would have been dissapointed in you answered that any other way.

Originally posted by AceOfBase
I would demand that you stop occupying my country hitting me in the face with your balls.

[edit on 15-3-2005 by AceOfBase]

that's almost funny !!

Originally posted by AceOfBase
It would only take once time and then I would demand that you stop occupying my country hitting me in the face with your balls.

That's more than almost funny, that's totally funny.

I would guess the Brigadier General in question was working for the resistance. Many of the former military are still loyal to Hussein, they continue to execute traitors, sabotage infrastructure, and 'cooperate' with the Americans to remain under the radar.

So lemme get this straight...

We went in to disarm the evil regime?

Then we fired all their soldiers and took all their weapons?

Now we're hiring them back on and giving them weapons?

And we're training them further?

Hmmmmm.....

Call me crazy but that seems incredibly moronic. There must be something else going on. No military planner worth his salt would fail to see the idiocy in this plan of action. I don't know what the real story is, I'm guessing we went in to grab something, or kill someone, and then we'll be out. The fact that we're still there probably means either Hussein is still free and they're putting one of his look-alikes on trial..or..we haven't found the stargate yet.

I think theres TONS not being mentioned in that article. I doubt us troops would instantly shoot to kill someone just because it's after the curfew.

The general was probly speeding towards the check point, or something like that; figuring he was a general so he wouldn't be hassled at a checkpoint. If I was a soldier manning a checkpoint in Iraq... I'd assume every car is a car bomb untill there atleast 200 feet away from me, and my guys.

Originally posted by AceOfBaseYou'd think they would be a little more careful after the Sgrena incident.

i doubt they even knew about that being on duty and all away from tv and internet and we dont know what even went on, no details are at your link.

Originally posted by Nygdan
The US stayed in japan and germany to protect them from the soviets. The Iranians aren't nearly as much of a threat, if at all really, and certainly the populations in iraq are very different from the more welcoming and accepting germans. I very much doubt that the US will stay in iraq once their military can deal with the insurgents.

How about all of these?
www.globalsecurity.org...

Originally posted by AceOfBase

abc.net.au
The deputy commander of the Iraqi army in western Al-Anbar province was shot dead by US troops at a checkpoint Tuesday night, a police officer said.

"The US forces opened fire at 8:00 pm on Brigadier General Ismail Swayed al-Obeid, who had left his base in Baghdadi to head home," police Captain Amin al-Hitti said.

"They spotted him on the road after the curfew, which goes into effect at 6pm," the officer said in Baghdadi, 185 kilometres west of the capital.

The guy was driving after curfew but I don't think that's an excuse to kill someone.
I doubt the Iraqi forces who served under him will be happy about his death.

You'd think they would be a little more careful after the Sgrena incident.

lol, this article made my day. I nearly fell out of my chair laughing so hard lol.

What else would you do when anyone dies?

I'm sure they'll come up with an excuse to satisfy our people.

There must be, or should be, some type of communications mechanism to alert troops that a friendly is approaching.

Other than that, I can only surmise that the officer was speeding, failed to yield, or otherwise put the troops into a defensive position. Without further facts, we cannot judge their actions.

Yeah they're called phones and radios....

And believe me we have great commsats working for us out there.

Shoot, the boys even got video cameras on their heads...come on now...


To hear all these people say the US is the best in the world Militariliy even, and then say 'oh the boys on the ground didn't know'

Didn't know my hairy behind.

NEWSFLASH.....

Speculation may be fun, but we don't have the "information" we need to formulate an "informed" opinion. That is unless you've already made up your minds according to your individual beliefs...AKA: bias

Geez, some people already have the electric chair out and all we have is a dead general at a checkpoint.

Sure, warm up the chair if you feel you need to - but lets not strap anyone to the seat just yet, ok?

WEll no, this happens over and over again...Journalists, Generals, Soldiers...All walks of life are getting murdered by these 'uniformed uninformed' people with guns....

This should have been stopped long ago

FRY EM

Originally posted by Partyof1
all we have is a dead general at a checkpoint.

That's right! There should be 20 dead Iraqis at every checkpoint every day! (Sorry, your logic is lost on me).

Following so closely behind the Italian incident, and ("accidental") wholesale killing of families occupying vehicles not behaving as expected while approaching checkpoints, it's overwhelming evidence that there are some things that are systematically wrong.

The buck stops at the level where checkpoint operations are designed and where orders concerning conduct of soldiers at checkpoints is given. Identify that and you have culpability.

But in line with Bush administration policy, accountability doesn't matter, no matter what the performance.

[edit on 15-3-2005 by MaskedAvatar]