One of the most important rules of guerilla warfare is that never allow the enemy to follow you home. If you were an insurgent, do you just attack American forces and just head straight home to eat lunch? Think about it.

According to the military, the incident occurred as U.S. forces were attempting to apprehend a "foreign fighter facilitator" for al-Qaeda in Iraq at a house near the town of Ishaqi, about 55 miles north of Baghdad. As troops advanced on the house, the statement said, they came under fire and "coalition forces returned fire utilizing both air and ground assets."

Family members and local police officials said at least 11 people, including five children and four women, were killed in the attack, according to wire service reports from the area. Police Capt. Hakim Azzawi said in an interview that 13 people had been killed -- five children, six women and two men.

A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, said the military was "investigating why there is a discrepancy" in accounts of the incident and the number of people killed.

Riyadh Majid, who identified himself as the nephew of the head of the family, Faez Khalaf, who was killed in the attack, told the Associated Press that U.S. forces landed in helicopters and raided the home early Wednesday.

Khalaf's brother, Ahmed, said nine of the victims were family members who lived at the house and two were unidentified visitors.

Just another case of the insurgents trying to use innocent civillian women and children as shields.

When the insurgents opened fire from the home they KNEW that we would respond in force, thereby gaining the headlines and propeganda that some swallow like a good pill.

hey americans love doing this crap, yeeeehaaaw, kill more children, then torture their parents....or torture parents in front of kids, or the other way around.....SCUM

I imaging the frustration of our troops when it comes to having to target civilians because the possibility of insurgents.

The Iraqi situation has gotten so bad that I will dare to said that US and even the Iraqi government has lost control of that country.

I pity the families of the people killed, buy more too to the troops that has to face for the rest of their lives the fact that children has die in that raid.

Our soldiers are coming back from Iraq to face years of hard realities and mental issues.

No everybody is strong enough to deal with war and we have the prove to that with pass veterans from previous wars.

It is very sad, and now more troops are going to Iraq.

Funny more troops.

While I am usually with you on this stuff Souljah, I have to admit that there are going to be casualties of war. I hate this conflict more than anyone, and I think it was a huge mistake, but if a collection of troops comes under fire from a house what would you have them do? Hide in some bushes because there may be innocents in the house? It is a war. When fired on, return fire. Its a basic human survival instinct.

The pictures make me want to cry because we have no right to be there stirring the pot, but I dont believe in making our forces look like blood-thirsty animals because they defended themselves. I blame the BAD GUYS who hide in homes that contain families, knowing full well that the soldiers will fight fire with fire 10x.

I have friends in Iraq that want out just as bad as I do. They are not all the monsters you try to portray. A lot of them are just everyday kids that wanted a free college education and a little bit of a stepping stone into adult life. They were put into a situation that they are helpless to control. The least we can do for these guys is give them the credit to defend themselves until our Gov't realizes what a mistake this is.

It all boils down to Uncle Sam going over the populations head and we are powerless to stop it. We have enough pieces of schit torturing and killing when it isnt necessary. We dont need to demonize the ones who might have just been covering their own tails do we?

I can empathize with the inhabitants of the house, but they are living in a warzone. There is nothing that can prevent this and they are at the mercy of the IRaqi insurgents, not the US military. The military did not come in with a few AH-64's and level 5 houses filled with civilians, which is what Souljah would wish had happened. Additionally, they caught who they were after. Operation was successful.

Why is there no blame going to the insurgents who used these people as human shields? If insurgents run into a home, begin firing upon troops, what are the troops supposed to do? Ask them politley to come out?

Again, I feel for the people of Iraq and I hope that soon they can live without fear of reprisals or battles in their backyards.

"US Raids Iraqi House, Killing Family of as many as 13 - Including Five Children"


Its too bad, but it is a WAR zone after all. And with the insurgents deliberatly giving out false target information (counter intel) and HOUSING insurgents with civilians and kids, its bound to happen.

Just think Soul: Your fellow countrymen heading over to support the war will be in situations that may result in civilian deaths as well.


[edit on 16-3-2006 by skippytjc]

in case you all forgot, your soldiers are in a foreign country fighting its inhabitants. They aint defending nothing, they are the aggressors.

While i dont blame the soldiers personally, i do blame the machinery that dragged them there based on total lies. SCUM of the earth.

Actually most of the people Perceive these Events in a Black and White image.

First - who are the Insurgents?

I mean - who are the Terrorists in Iraq?

Apparently only One Militant Side (out of Many) - is Considered that.

When the Sunni Death Squads patrol Baghdad and leave a couple of 100 Bodies of Civilans laying around, everything is Fine and Dany - how come the Big Bad Bombers don't go bombing some Sunni City? I guess the Coalition of the Willies would be in big doo-doo if the Sunni's conspire against them.

That is NOT Terrorism - that just Happens.

It's WAR after all.

And Some guys are BAD - and the Other guys are GOOD.

Right?

Well, then it leaves only the Kurds out of the picture - dreaming of their independant Kurdistan for such a long time.

Are Kurds Good or Bad?

Anyway - I bet that the Iraq People feel so Free and Secure unow, when they have the Protection by the US forces. Yes - I bet they do.

"The Americans have promised us a better life, but we get only death." - Ahmed Khalaf told the AP.

So Free and so Secure.

War is hell and war is unfair at times... The Insurgents placed their children in harms way by putting them in that situation. I’m sure there are more circumstances surrounding this story than is reported. US soldiers are not animals we are there trying to help a country that murder their own people by the hundreds on a daily basis. I have friends over there and its is confusing and scary for them being in a country with enemies all around them. Sometimes there are instances where there is a gun battle and there is no time to get out the rule book and look at step 2 or 3 and identify everyone while getting shot at. Sure there are a few bad apples in the bunch but it does not represent our military as a whole. Our soldiers do awesome things everyday for the children and townspeople that are not reported only crap like this.Im not sticking up for the government im sticking up for our soldiers who are placed in this situation and deal with it the best they can.

Originally posted by nukunuku
hey americans love doing this crap, yeeeehaaaw, kill more children, then torture their parents....or torture parents in front of kids, or the other way around.....SCUM

well we cant kill the bad guys,we can kill women and children

Originally posted by Striker8441
Just another case of the insurgents trying to use innocent civillian women and children as shields.

When the insurgents opened fire from the home they KNEW that we would respond in force, thereby gaining the headlines and propeganda that some swallow like a good pill.

Yes, did you notice how Souljah left out that part? He always does that trying to incite hatred towards the U.S.....

I really feel bad for the children, but what were the U.S. forces to do when they were under fire?

Originally posted by Souljah
...................
Makes you Think how many Raids like this happened in this current operation Swarmer in which the US and Iraqi "Security" Forces are looking for Insurgents - and killing Families ofcourse.

Or there is truly fault in the soldier/soldiers who did this I am sure they will be dealt with, but do not try to use this for your rethoric and your tactics to have more people hate the U.S..... Is this one of the 10 ways you "deny hate"?.... by sensationalizing such reports?

[edit on 20-3-2006 by Muaddib]

Originally posted by Muaddib
Or there is truly fault in the soldier/soldiers who did this I am sure they will be dealt with, but do not try to use this for your rethoric and your tactics to have more people hate the U.S..... Is this one of the 10 ways you "deny hate"?.... by sensationalizing such reports?

Yes I am sure they will be "Dealt With" - maybe by giving them a Medal. If you did not notice, the US Army does not Admit it happened. Apprently there were some Suspected Insurgents, which yet again turned out to be an Iraqi Family - now Dead.

From the Source:

Western news agencies also reported civilian deaths in the fighting. The U.S. military, in the statement from spokesmen in Baghdad, said it knew of no civilian deaths in the engagement.

So - western news agencies report civilans deaths - US Army knows nothing. As usual.

Yeah - I bet the US Army is really Concerned about this Event - a numerous others. It is not Sensationalism - its the NEWS, bud-dy. If you did not notice, there is a Bloody War going on for 3 years now in Iraq.

Oh - I forgot; Iraq is Free and Democratic and Liberated, right?

Right...

Its been a huuuuge mistake...this is established. Not too many even argue otherwise anymore. Maybe that old guy, and a few others. But when soldiers encounter fire directed towards them, they return it. Its not rocket science. We arent arguing quantum physics here. Its a terrible outcome. Its an unexpected outcome. But it is a possible outcome. Innocent people do die. It makes me even sicker that you need to make the entire country look like it is jumping on the anti-Iraqi bandwagon. Most of us admit the mistake and just want our kids home.

Maybe Obi-Wan can fix it?

Originally posted by Striker8441
Just another case of the insurgents trying to use innocent civillian women and children as shields.

When the insurgents opened fire from the home they KNEW that we would respond in force, thereby gaining the headlines and propeganda that some swallow like a good pill.

And why would we respond in force, knowing that insurgents use innocent civilians as shields?

Doesn't seem like very good tactics, taking the long view.

I usually hesitate before commenting on single-event type war atrocity stories, because they are often heavy with spin and really, without being there, it's impossible to judge. But just looking at this situation as if it were hypothetical, what strategies do we need to actually make things work for us in Iraq, when we know what sorts of things insurgents can do, and we're trying to win hearts and minds here?