US soldiers kill 10-year-old Iraqi girl

US soldiers kill 10-year-old Iraqi girl

www.presstv.ir

Leighton said preliminary reports indicated that soldiers didn't believe the girl posed a threat of being a suicide bomber, but rather "they were afraid she was signaling to someone" along a stretch of road "the convoy was going by," where roadside bombs had recently been found.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Boy, this just seems to keep happening. Innocents being killed. Maybe it is a part of war, but it is a shame that this war even came to be.
The claim of the soldiers being "afraid" she was signaling to someone simply says that they really were unsure of what she was doing. She could have just merely been waving at the passing soldiers. Is this what we do in war? We think someone is doing something so we just shoot them? I just don't see the justification. Just because bombs have been found there previously does not mean we can just shoot people that are in the area. I wonder if anything more will come of this.

www.presstv.ir
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by palehorse23


Sounds justified to me..

Terrible that it happened, but its war.. and in war terrible things happen. I honestly doubt she was "waving" but perhaps another hand signal, or acting in an odd manor.. it must have been something to convince a soldier to kill an obviously young girl..

(it is not unheard of for kids to be used to plant bombs, be suicide bombers, signal attacks, cause a distraction for an attack)

reply to post by Rockpuck


She could have just been sitting there and you would argue she was "probably" wearing a bomb, wouldn't you?



This is absurd beyond belief.

This has been happening since the beginning of the war... stray bullets, 'off-target' ballistics and explosive. Lots of dead Iraqi children on Americas account, that's for sure.

And no, that is not an 'anti-American' statement. It's the truth. Deal with it people.

During Vietnam, civilians (sometimes women and children) would observe trails for the VC. They were called trail watchers.

It's been proven that the enemy in Iraq will use women and children to carry out their attacks. They know that if one of their trail watchers is killed, the media will be up in arms over US military shooting "civilians".

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Sounds justified to me..

Terrible that it happened, but its war.. and in war terrible things happen.

You know nothing of war. Statements like this are not only transparent but disgusting.

'Bad things happen in war.' To who? You? Hardly. Bad things happen to other people and you sit at your computer and shrug 'Oh well, she was acting suspicious. Sounds reasonable to me.'

Sickening.

Originally posted by jerico65
During Vietnam, civilians (sometimes women and children) would observe trails for the VC. They were called trail watchers.

Hey great. So now the pro-military pro-war people are finally admitting that we are in another Vietnam?

Seems to me we have been protesting this war from the beginning because we did not want another Vietnam . All we ever heard was 'this is totally different from Vietnam.'

Now something like this happens and look at the diatribe. Look at the shamelessness. Listen to the excuses.

Stop excusing the death of women and children and start acting like men. Pitiful.

reply to post by Rockpuck


Your right! It is as justified as a little American girl killed in a gang war.

I'm sorry but that was just the most ignorant and most idiotic thing I have ever hurt. What would you do if Russia invaded your country and did the same thing?

[edit on 12-3-2008 by Equinox99]

Originally posted by TheWalkingFox
reply to post by Rockpuck

 

She could have just been sitting there and you would argue she was "probably" wearing a bomb, wouldn't you?

This is absurd beyond belief.

Well I thought we could have a "grown up" conversation, but apparently stray emotional responses will rule the day on ATS.

Originally posted by Equinox99
reply to post by Rockpuck

 

Your right! It is as justified as a little American girl killed in a gang war.

Yeah, because that the same as a military operation.

# happens. No doubt about that.

Yes it has been happening since the onset of this war. And I am almost positive it has happened in wars past. It still does not make it right.
I know it is not unheard of that children are used in such a manner, but how do you justify shooting her over suspicion? So with that logic, every child on the side of the road that lifts their hands, you must kill them. I guess it must mean the soldier was right in just shooting first because he "thought" she had other intentions.
And unfortunately incidents like these are not something that I can just get over. As NWOver stated, absolutely disgusting. It is disgusting on both sides of the argument. Children being used in such a manner, and soldiers just shooting in a reaction to a possible "hunch" they may have.
The article states that they felt she did not pose a threat as that of a suicide bomber. If she was signaling to someone else, why didn't they turn their attention in the direction they thought she was signaling and look for someone else?

[edit on 3/12/2008 by palehorse23]

reply to post by Rockpuck


Well what is it then? This war is as dumb as the blood/crip war, or the hispanic and black war in LA. I am an Iraqi and I used to live there. It was actually a nice place to live once. Now it is worse then LA.

Saying it is okay the little girl got shot is as stupid as saying it is okay to go out and arrest a hispanic or black because the gangs are at war.

reply to post by NewWorldOver


Last time I checked it was called war. People die, even so-called innocent ones. And the poster that you responded to didn't remotely say what you said he/she did. when did he/she say it was another Vietman. Every war in every nation has had these type of casualties. Stop twisting what people are saying to meet your own needs.

reply to post by Rockpuck


I would hardly compare a gang war with a military operation. If our military operated like a gang, we would be totally screwed. I would not want a gang protecting my country that's for sure.

reply to post by palehorse23


No one said it was "right" I am just saying there had to have been an OBVIOUS reason to shoot her.. it was probably yelled back and forth over radios "what the hell do I do!???" and eventually her action was suspicious enough that she was killed... put your self in the situation..

Children and innocent people being killed in war is nothing new.. in past wars we carpet bombed entire cities, decimating the population just for the sake of moral terror, and it worked, and entire nations buckled..

This war is relatively peaceful compared to "full scale" war campaigns.

Innocent people will ALWAYS die in war, war is not complete without it, and Humans will never live to see the day when men formed lines and walked to their deaths on distant battlefields, those days are gone, we fight behind women and children now in city centers..

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Sitting in YOUR computer chair playing the bleeding heart liberal out to save the world one childish post at a time is just as good.

What does one's political affiliation have anything to do with being disgusted with a 10 year girl being shot? Figures it would come out you are another staunch republican refusing to look at the horrors being committed in Iraq.

reply to post by NewWorldOver


Really, I said this was like Vietnam? Please feel free to find my quote. I'll wait here.

Tactics are the same in any war. The VC would wire dogs with mines, which is similiar to what the Russians did during WW2. Doesn't mean Vietnam was just like the Eastern Front.

Dig thru some books on war. Same tactics, different theaters. Some things never change.

reply to post by palehorse23


Actually that was me who said it not the other. Those actions by the military were unjustified. If no one cares about those actions then the Israel/Palestien war should be nothing as well right? A war is a war.