NEWS: 15 Iraqi's Including Children Dead After US Opens Fire on Mosque

15 Iraqis including 8 children are dead after US forces opened fire on people exiting a mosque in Nasaf, a town west of Baghdad near Ramadi according to a doctor treating the wounded. The residents of the town have said the US forces started shooting after a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol vehicle, which left pools of blood and bodies littering the mosque steps. The US forces have denied the incident.



If this incident did occur it serves to highlight the problems with this war. To open fire on children is despicable. As time goes on more will be uncovered on this story and hopefully the truth surrounding the incident will be published.

The article also mentions the scores of dead, killed after approaching roadblocks too quickly. We are served a reminder of this actually happening by the Italian reporter who was injured and one in the car killed by US fire after being released as a hostage and fleeing back to safe ground.




[edit on 13-8-2005 by Mayet]

[edit on 13-8-2005 by Mayet]

Why is the media so enraged in publicizing things such as this? The terrorist have been blowing up women and children throughout this war in their own country killing thousands but get little or no media coverage. If the report is true and we don't know wether it is or not at this point the media makes the US soldiers look like murderers which we are not. So sick of the bad publicity that we get. This shouldn't even be posted on ATS.

I agree i see, things like this happen in war its tragic, even more tragic that the bombers kill kids all the time but the media make them out to be heros.

I want to add that my best friend is in Iraq fighting this bullcrap war and calls me weekley. On one particular occasion he called me midweek which isn't usually the case and I could clearly tell that he was upset. I asked his what was worng and he told me that they were ambushed to the extremity of (blackhawk down) and with only 12 of them. They fought for 2.5 hrs like this until reinforcments showed up. What he was upset about was that he had to shoot a woman and her child because the scumbag with the RPG was using them as a sheild and was about to fire at his comrades and himself. I told him that he did the right thing by shooting them.

Why should it not be posted here? So people only hear what they want to hear and not the full truth? Is it just because you don't like the story that it should not be posted here?

No this is the reality..this is the flip side of the golden coin.


Freedom of speech and all that......

and you can go and complain to Reuters or whoever released the story on the news wires if you don't like the story.

and to all the No:bias responses I have just recieved, the only bias here is your own. I reported on news that has been released worldwide by reputable sources with no bias. I said the US did not confirm the story.

Here is the Yahoo edition if you don't like the ABC's Yahoo News

[edit on 13-8-2005 by Mayet]

Human rights groups have documented scores of cases in which civilians have been shot and killed after approaching US military roadblocks too quickly, or not following instructions to keep away from US military convoys as they pass.

Seems like the good people of Iraq would have learned not to do such things, especially with the arabic "keep away" signs and the presence of an armed guard pointing his weapon at you. It's hard for the Coalition troops to determine citizen from combatant sometimes.

As far as the mosque incident, I don't buy it. This is clearly a case of he said/she said....some iraqis and www.abc.net.au say it happened and the military says it did not, I think there is more to the story than presented in the article. If it did happen, then those troops involved should be punished accordingly.....thier is NO excuse for targeting innocent civilians. Our aim is to rid Iraq (and other places) of violent Muslim extremist, not become like them by bringing ourselves to thier level.

BTW: I gave this a "YES" vote. It meets the structure criteria for ATSNN.

[edit on 13/8/2005 by SportyMB]

[edit on 13/8/2005 by SportyMB]

Thanks Sporty I appreciate your sportsmanship and honesty.

Please direct all bias calls to the originators of the news article which according to information at my fingertips is Reuters.



[edit on 13-8-2005 by Mayet]

As in "this should not even be posted on ATS" I meant from my perspective. It's obvious that you got the story from elseware and did not conjure it up. The thing is that we are not getting the full truth as you say and I don't have a problem with you relaying information. The problem is that no one relays information for the good of our troops. It's always things such as this. I just find it ridiculous that this makes news yet blowing up thousands of women and children from your own people is not. I know you did not write the story as I said and is it ATSNN worthy as far as the rules go.

As in "this should not even be posted on ATS" I meant from my perspective.

You cannot let your perspective get in the way of voting. Cast your vote using the ATSNN criteria as your guide...not your opinion on the topic.

It's obvious that you got the story from elseware and did not conjure it up. The thing is that we are not getting the full truth as you say and I don't have a problem with you relaying information.

Show me an internet news source that does.....
If Al-Jzeera(sp) was used as the source, then I would pull the "BIAS" card.

The problem is that no one relays information for the good of our troops. It's always things such as this. I just find it ridiculous that this makes news yet blowing up thousands of women and children from your own people is not. I know you did not write the story as I said and is it ATSNN worthy as far as the rules go.

I totally agree, but that should not be a factor in voting.


[edit on 13/8/2005 by SportyMB]

The problem is that no one relays information for the good of our troops. It's always things such as this. I just find it ridiculous that this makes news yet blowing up thousands of women and children from your own people is not.

I think everyone wishes the news was full of the good things our troops are doing, but the simple truth seems to be that there is very little 'good' coming from this occupation of Iraq.

Don't blame it on the media, don't blame it on the troops, blame it on our government.

Is REUTERS ok for all you non-belivers?

15 killed when attacked U.S. patrol returns fire

Residents of Nasaf, a town just outside Ramadi, west of Baghdad, said a roadside bomb exploded next to a U.S. armoured patrol as it passed near the Ibn al-Jawzi mosque shortly after prayers on Friday.

Following the explosion, U.S. troops opened fire, the residents said, shooting towards those emerging from the mosque

Reut ers

[edit on 13/8/05 by Souljah]

You quote...

15 Iraqis including 8 children are dead after US forces opened fire on people exiting a mosque in Nasaf

yet the link you gave quotes...

An attack on a US military patrol followed by heavy US gunfire has left 15 Iraqis, including eight children, dead and 17 wounded in a town west of Baghdad, residents said on Saturday. Following the explosion, US troops opened fire towards those emerging from the mosque, the residents said. But the US military said its troops had not been involved in any firing in the area.

"US forces were not involved in any shooting incident in eastern Ramadi or anywhere near a mosque," Captain Jeffrey Pool, a spokesman for the Marines in Ramadi, said in an e-mail reply to written questions.

All we have is the residents saying they saw US troops shooting. No facts are given to say it was the US troops that actually shot and killed these people. Your opening line says it was the US troops that killed 15 Iraqi's.

Sorry, but there is nothing to back that statement up.......

Why people get so in denial when they see news of "Children" dying in Iraq,?

Yes they are dying and dying in great numbers.

But all for "liberty" and the "oil barons" of the US.

Iraqi Children Paying High Price for Freedom: Thousands are Dying, Thousands are Dead!
Killing one person is murder, but killing 50-100,000 has become accepted US foreign policy.

“We don’t do body counts” General Tommy Franks, US Central Command www.iraqbodycount.net...

Obviously, every day I pray there is less casualty, but I know what we are doing in Iraq is right.
-- George. W. Bush Fort Hood, Texas, Apr. 11, 2004


100,000 Civilian Deaths Estimated in Iraq


"Most individuals reportedly killed by coalition forces were women and children. The risk of death from violence in the period after the invasion was 58 times higher (95% CI 8·1-419) than in the period before the war.

Yes . . . war is hell, mistake are made, and children will die, but then I most ask, why are we still in Iraq making mistakes?

!!!!!Beware!!!!! the following link has two pictures that may hurt the sensitive feelings of some Americans that are in denial.

www.tcrnews2.com...

If this incident did occur it serves to highlight the problems with this war. To open fire on children is despicable. As time goes on more will be uncovered on this story and hopefully the truth surrounding the incident will be published.

i also said this. The residents say it happened, the treating doctor says it happened the military says it didn't. I would like more information before anyone can say yay or nay. There is a thousand lies but only one truth.

Bottom line is that the Military MUST always have a "Clean Record" - espeically in this War in Iraq today, where every move is Recorder and Watched. Ofcourse they say "They did not do it" - anything else would be a complete Surprise.

You said...

15 Iraqis including 8 children are dead after US forces opened fire on people exiting a mosque in Nasaf

Wrong.. the US has denied this. The link you gave supports this.
Maybe, just maybe, you got it wrong? No offense intended here, but the link does go against what you initially posted.

Originally posted by I See You
I want to add that my best friend is in Iraq fighting this bullcrap war and calls me weekley. On one particular occasion he called me midweek.

What he was upset about was that he had to shoot a woman and her child because the scumbag with the RPG was using them as a sheild and was about to fire at his comrades and himself.

You say yourself that children are being shot and dying. The people see this happening to their children and families. what are they to think? What would you think if some country came in to your land and started shooting your kids and wives? You would probably feel hatred too. You would probably do what you could, even if it meant using your household utensils, to get rid of the invaders.

This is how the Iraqi's feel, this is what they see.

Originally posted by Bikereddie
You said...

15 Iraqis including 8 children are dead after US forces opened fire on people exiting a mosque in Nasaf

Wrong.. the US has denied this. The link you gave supports this.
Maybe, just maybe, you got it wrong? No offense intended here, but the link does go against what you initially posted.

15 Iraqis including 8 children are dead after US forces opened fire on people exiting a mosque in Nasaf, a town west of Baghdad near Ramadi according to a doctor treating the wounded

nope. It doesn't. Reread what I wrote please. The US deny, The doctor and the residents agree.



[edit on 13-8-2005 by Mayet]

Originally posted by Bikereddie
Wrong.. the US has denied this. The link you gave supports this.
Maybe, just maybe, you got it wrong? No offense intended here, but the link does go against what you initially posted.

Wrong.

The US MILITARY has DENIED this - or do you think they would say: " Yea, sure we have shot 15 Civilans including Children Today. Our Mistake. Let's move on."

I don't think so.

The Military must have a Clean Record, as I have said before.

And shooting and killing 15 People that have exited the Mosque is NOT something you would like to mention in the News.

Originally posted by Souljah
Bottom line is that the Military MUST always have a "Clean Record" - espeically in this War in Iraq today, where every move is Recorder and Watched. Ofcourse they say "They did not do it" - anything else would be a complete Surprise.

Good response Souljah.
glad you made us aware of that one. Totally forgot that happens in Iraq these days.

But i suppose the same could be said about the 'freedom fighters' too? They must also always have a 'clean record' eh?.