Embedded CNN reporter doubts Haditha charges…

CNN’s Arwa Damon doesn’t believe it. Now, in all fairness she wasn’t there at the scene when it happened, but she was embedded with those same Marines for what she calls “countless” operations in 2005 and right up to a few weeks prior to the event. After her time with that unit, she simply cannot believe the allegations against them.

She goes on to state this:

I know the Marines that were operating in western al Anbar, from Husayba all the way to Haditha. I went on countless operations in 2005 up and down the Euphrates River Valley. I was pinned on rooftops with them in Ubeydi for hours taking incoming fire, and I’ve seen them not fire a shot back because they did not have positive identification on a target.

I saw their horror when they thought that they finally had identified their target, fired a tank round that went through a wall and into a house filled with civilians. They then rushed to help the wounded — remarkably no one was killed.

I was with them in Husayba as they went house to house in an area where insurgents would booby-trap doors, or lie in wait behind closed doors with an AK-47, basically on suicide missions, just waiting for the Marines to come through and open fire. There were civilians in the city as well, and the Marines were always keenly aware of that fact. How they didn’t fire at shadows, not knowing what was waiting in each house, I don’t know. But they didn’t.

And I was with them in Haditha, a month before the alleged killings last November of some 24 Iraqi civilians.

Read the whole thing HERE

Here is an ex embedded CNN reporter that has personal combat experience with the very soldiers who are charged with this massacre stating she doesn’t believe it. She has witnessed on “countless” occasions these Marines taking great care not to cause civilian casualties at their own peril. Up to just weeks before the incident she can attest to their moral responsibilities and regard towards civilians.

Now of course she wasn’t right there, but she is as good of a character witness as there ever could be, she spent time in combat with these guys. If anybody knows, it’s Arwa Damon.

These civilians died in some way, and the insurgents riddled them with bullets after the fact. In the end, I hope the truth is represented and these marines get what they deserve, one way or another. But I suspect this issue is an example of a successful Insurgent tactic and propaganda campaign.

She has witnessed on “countless” occasions these Marines taking great care not to cause civilian casualties at their own peril. Up to just weeks before the incident she can attest to their moral responsibilities and regard towards civilians.

Now of course she wasn’t right there, but she is as good of a character witness as there ever could be, she spent time in combat with these guys. If anybody knows, it’s Arwa Damon.


I am not defending these troops at all, but something that even she needs to understand is that every human has a breaking point when crazy things can happen. I can easily see the troops risking themselves time and time again to protect civilians, but wouldn't they even grow tired of that, when the enemy keeps changing up like a chameleon? They may have just had enough, went crazy, and started killing.

I still think that a serious inquiry must be made of these events, and I always think we have to be careful of propaganda coming in from every side. Kinda makes me want to go crazy, seems like all news has become some sort of propaganda in some respects. I find U.S. MSM news to almost always have an opinion to it, even if it's just facial expressions by the gal reading the news, it is there, though.

Makes me wonder how far gone we may in fact all be, after so many years of being told all types of craziness.

*Edit - I am simply stating that I don't think she has the call to judge what happened there, especially after she was gone. They still were civilians though, and the military was wrong if they are indeed proven to be guilty. I wasn't defending them, as much as just trying to show how she could be wrong.

[edit on 5/31/06 by niteboy82]

Well we have a regular Faux News corespondant on ATS!



Your post skippy, is like Faux News attempt to DIVERT attention ofcourse.

Fox News Makes Murtha the Issue in Haditha Case

How does Fox News, the "good news in Iraq" network, handle a story about the possibility that U.S. marines killed 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha last fall? By making an issue of anyone who wants it investigated, of course. The messenger being shot Tuesday (May 30, 2006) on "Dayside," was Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania.

Dayside co-hosts Steve Doocy and Juliet Huddy invited Lt. BIll Cowan, a retired marine and a Fox News military analyst, to discuss the issue, not of what has been discovered in the investigation into what happened at Haditha, but rather whether Murtha "is rushing to judgment before a full linvestigation is completed and made public."

Huddy made an issue of Murtha's calling the possible massacre of 24 unarmed civilians, including women and children, "worse than Abu-Ghraib." Well, wouldn't 24 people killed for no reason be worse than abusing prisoners who lived? Oh, I get it. If there aren't pictures of it happening that are spread across the web, then that makes it not so bad.

Nice Attempt skippy.

Apparently this CNN reporter knows More about this Incident then the Iraqi Civilan Witnesess, whos Family, Friends and Neighbours got shot in Cold Blood.

If you belive in Santa that is.



[edit on 31/5/06 by Souljah]

Your story is compelling, Skippy, but i have to go with Soulja on this.

Familes were wiped out and the ones who lived to tell the story are making big headlines.

Originally posted by skippytjc

Embedded CNN reporter doubts Haditha charges…

I think you answered alot of questions with the title of this thread alone.

But let's not jump to conclusions too quickly and wait for investigation to end.

I watched her on CNN this moring and she certainly seemed creditable to me. I also have my doubts after watching the interview.


Good post Skippy

Skippy did you see the video on CNN regarding the shooting?

After watching this I have even more doubts. One kid knew the bomb was going to go off before it happened. Hmmmm, really sounds like a propaganda ploy to me. Odd she would claim they shot her family and even her yet she is alive to tell the story and I doubt the part about her brother under the bed also, it just does not compute. Watch it and let me know what you think. Video link is in the third or fourth paragraph as I recall. Watch it more then once then you will catch what appear to be inconsistencies in their stories.

CNN.Com

Futile Attempts really.

I guess some people just can not face Reality as it is.

So they start to make up stories and diversions to make the Sitation a lil' better.

BBC: Haditha: Massacre and cover-up?

A simple US military statement hinted at the bloody chain of events which the attack started - though subsequent scrutiny showed it to be far from the truth.

It said: "A US marine and 15 civilians were killed yesterday from the blast of a roadside bomb in Haditha."

"Immediately following the bombing, gunmen attacked the convoy with small arms fire. Iraqi army soldiers and marines returned fire, killing eight insurgents and wounding another."


The bodies of women and children, still in their nightclothes; interior walls and ceilings peppered with bullet holes; bloodstains on the floor.

Before publishing its account on 19 March, the magazine passed the tape to US military commanders in Baghdad, who initiated a preliminary investigation.

Following their findings, the official version was changed to say that, after the roadside bomb, the 15 civilians had been ACCIDENTLY shot by marines during a firefight with insurgent.


"They knocked at our front door and my father went to open it. They shot him dead from behind the door and then they shot him again," she says in the video.

"Then one American soldier came in and shot at us all. I pretended to be dead and he didn't notice me."

Hammurabi says eight people died in the house, including Safa's five siblings, aged between 14 and two.

In another house seven people including a child and his 70-year-old grandfather were killed. Four brothers aged 41 to 24 died in a third house. Eyewitnesses said they were forced into a wardrobe and shot.

Outside in the street, US troops are said to have gunned down four students and a taxi driver who they stopped at a roadblock set up after the bombing.

First - they claimed there was a Roadbomb.

Then - they claimed there was a Firefight.

Then - they claimed this was an ACCIDENT.

Yes, let's belive this Reporter that was not EVEN there - and forget about the Iraqi Civilans Witnesess, who actually saw what happened.

Futile attempts - both skippy and shots.

Originally posted by Souljah
Futile attempts - both skippy and shots.

Well I tell you what after hearing what those kids had to say; I am now more convinced then ever that this was a set up by your friends.

Come on give me a break shot a kid in the head 7 times ridiculous. Then the girl slips up bye saying she expected the bomb to go off which clealy indicates her family was part of the insurgency. She also slipped up when she claimed they threw a bombin the house, if that was the case she would have been dead.

The only futile attempt I see here is your trying to convince everyone it happened other then it actually did.

Given the long history of breaking points like this in past wars, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the allegations are true. But right now they are just that: allegations.

That said, though, her commentary is really just plain naive. Of course you never saw them do anything like that, you were there to document it! The fact that you never saw them slaughter any civilians while you had your camera trained on them is something like the Ted Bundy’s neighbors saying “but he was always such a nice and quiet guy!” It’s utterly meaningless.

If anything, I think her remarks point out a clear flaw in the embedded journalist program. I know a lot of talking heads have pointed out before that journalists who depend on troops to protect their lives day in and day out are obviously going to be more sympathetic to those soldiers. But I think this actually goes past that. The real problem is that having reporters with troops for whatever percent of the total number of operations gives a false sense of security that what the reporters see when they are with the troops is the same behavior that takes place when they are not with them. It’s like Stockholm Syndrome to a certain extent.

It lulls the American public into believing we have accurate coverage of the war, when we really only see the parts of the war that the civilian military leadership wants us to see. I’m not saying this is the fault of the soldiers at all. I’m just saying that the system has some fundamental flaws that have never really been discussed.

I am very hopeful that these allegations are false. I also hope that if they are, the US can actually prove that this is the case - definitively. Otherwise, I really think that the US is going to come under the strongest criticism yet.

There's a ton of information that isn't out there yet," said one lawyer, who, like the others, would speak only on the condition of anonymity because a potential client has not been charged. The radio message traffic, he said, will provide a different view of the incident than has been presented by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) and other members of Congress. For example, he said, contrary to Murtha's account, it will show that the Marines came under small-arms fire after the roadside explosion.

www.washingtonpost.com...

They didnt do it. Its too bad some of you believe 100% of everything you read so long as its anti USA.

This must be a lie also. I'm telling you, every newsource is wrong and they are all anti military apparently:

www.breitbart.com...

I was driving my car at full speed because I did not see any sign or warning from the Americans. It was not until they shot the two bullets that killed my sister and cousin that I stopped," he said. "God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here. They have no regard for our lives."

He said doctors tried but failed to save the baby after his sister was brought to the hospital.

The shooting deaths occurred in the wake of an investigation into allegations that U.S. Marines killed unarmed civilians in the western city of Haditha.

First off... lets start by saying I would pray that no American Soldier would kill innocents in cold blood. Yet we are already criminal in the sense that we are in war at all... considering Iraq hasn't commited a crime against the American people.

It is obvious that some of you have never been in war, let alone a Marine. These are only a few of the innocent lives that we've taken in cold blood over there. It is only because it was brought out in public that we are hearing about them at all. Most of these attacks will never be aired on American television. Our government wants support for the war - think they will show you pictures of all the children and women that have been killed along the way. HECK NO! Visit a local VA hospital and talk to all the US soldiers and listen to their stories. Then you come back on here and talk. Then we'll listen to you. Otherwise, stay in your dream world - keep voting for Bush - keep believing Americans would never kill innocents - turn in your hand guns - get your National ID card - and live the NWO life that you so much believe in. GET A CLUE. Oh yeah, and 7 shots to the head is nothing but one burst of gunfire (another person that has never fired an automatic).

Originally posted by dgtempe
This must be a lie also. I'm telling you, every newsource is wrong and they are all anti military apparently:

www.breitbart.com...

I was driving my car at full speed because I did not see any sign or warning from the Americans. It was not until they shot the two bullets that killed my sister and cousin that I stopped," he said. "God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here. They have no regard for our lives."

He said doctors tried but failed to save the baby after his sister was brought to the hospital.

The shooting deaths occurred in the wake of an investigation into allegations that U.S. Marines killed unarmed civilians in the western city of Haditha.

If the guy didnt see the sign then whos fault is it? He probably wasnt paying attention, or the sign could have been in a bad place. But what do you want the troops to do, let a car run the checkpoints. Thats not good security policy and defeats the purpose of the checkpoints completely.

I'm only pointing this out because lately there are horror stories like this every day. I know its a war, and i'm aware of the old cliche, "War is Hell"

I hope this gets a full "real" investigation- they're killing civilians at random, for Petes sakes!

Anyway, i'm not a warrior by any means. Maybe this is the standard, it just makes me sick. You cant tell the terrorists from regular pregnant ladies, so you shoot to kill EVERYONE.

War is hell alright.

Well, its obvious to me something strange is afoot as there are so many conflicting stories of what really happened.

I can believe the insurgents could of killed these people BUT I can also find it possible the marines, furious, could of round up these people and shot them as well.


SO....we need hard evidence.....ballistics, what types of rounds were fired in the vicinity, wtc.

However, I feel murtha is scum.... news agencies have been asked to refrain from jumping to conclusions by the USMC.

he has his face all over the news screaming these men are guilty and he doesnt have all the facts.

Originally posted by dgtempe
they're killing civilians at random, for Petes sakes!

How do you know this? do you have evidence the investigators dont have?

keep the rhetoric under wraps until the investigation is complete......you'll look less foolish.

Originally posted by shots
Well I tell you what after hearing what those kids had to say; I am now more convinced then ever that this was a set up by your friends.

Which "Friends" would that be?

All Friends I have are from Slovenia - are you telling me that they went to Iraq just to kill some Civilians?



Seriously tho - how many more Witnesess do you need?

[edit on 31/5/06 by Souljah]

I, for one, would be very surprised if there wasn't something like Mai Lei in Iraq. We should be expecting something like it to happen, Haditha might very well be it. It hardly matters that someone who knows these guys thinks that they wouldnt' do it. I am sure most people that know those guys don't think of them as highly trained professional killers either.

Originally posted by Nygdan
I, for one, would be very surprised if there wasn't something like Mai Lei in Iraq. We should be expecting something like it to happen, Haditha might very well be it. It hardly matters that someone who knows these guys thinks that they wouldnt' do it. I am sure most people that know those guys don't think of them as highly trained professional killers either.

Slight difference is that there were U.S. personnel who stopped the ones killing the Vietnamese villagers and rescue the survivors. Non of them here in Haditha.