Cables Reveal 2006 Summary Execution of Civilian Family in Iraq

As revealed by a State Department diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks last week, US forces committed a heinous war crime during a house raid in Iraq in 2006, wherein one man, four women, two children, and three infants were summarily executed.

The cable excerpts a letter written by Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, addressed to then Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. American troops approached the home of Faiz Harrat Al-Majma’ee, a farmer living in central Iraq, to conduct a house raid in search of insurgents in March of 2006.

“It would appear that when the MNF [Multinational Forces] approached the house,” Alston wrote, “shots were fired from it and a confrontation ensued” before the “troops entered the house, handcuffed all residents and executed all of them.” Mr. Faiz Hratt Khalaf, (aged 28), his wife Sumay’ya Abdul Razzaq Khuther (aged 24), their three children Hawra’a (aged 5) Aisha ( aged 3) and Husam (5 months old), Faiz’s mother Ms. Turkiya Majeed Ali (aged 74), Faiz’s sister (name unknown), Faiz’s nieces Asma’a Yousif Ma’arouf (aged 5 years old), and Usama Yousif Ma’arouf (aged 3 years), and a visiting relative Ms. Iqtisad Hameed Mehdi (aged 23) were killed during the raid.

Alston’s letter reveals that a US airstrike was launched on the house presumably to destroy the evidence, but that “autopsies carried out at the Tikrit Hospital’s morgue revealed that all corpses were shot in the head and handcuffed.”

The details revealed in the cable are a valuable insight into how many of these house raids turn out. The raids, often carried out in the middle of the night, have become one of the primary strategies of the US war in Afghanistan, with tens of thousands orchestrated just in the last year.

In one notable and comparable incident in February of 2010, US Special Operations Forces surrounded a house in a village in the Paktia Province in Afghanistan. Two civilian men exited the home to ask why they had been surrounded and were shot and killed. US forces then shot and killed three female relatives (a pregnant mother of ten, a pregnant mother of six, and a teenager).

Instead of calling in an airstrike to hide the evidence, US troops, realizing their mistake, lied and tampered with the evidence at the scene. The initial claim, which was corroborated by the Pentagon, was that the two men were insurgents who had “engaged” the troops, and the three murdered women were simply found by US soldiers, in what they described as an apparent honor killing. Investigations into the incident eventually forced the Pentagon to retract its initial story and issue an apology.

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I'm infuriated right now. Why is it that our government feels the need to cover this # up? Really come on! If they just told us straight up what happened and jailed the people involved I wouldn't care as much. But what we now know is that the Government has no problem lieing to us. Hell we've known this for years, but this confirms it.

I'm going to finish my class work. I'll be back in thirty minutes. What do you think ATS?

Edit: A Comment from Reddit:

What do you call it when the US behaves like a terrorist state, and also has government policy set by corporations, and Dick Cheney has meetings with oil industry execs to set war policy? Control long ago was taken from the people and democracy is an illusion. Likely the best we can do is to rise up and protest and resist the corporate state as well as we can. And, no wonder the administration wants to prosecute information leaks. Students of history, look to Rome just before it fell.

oh one more thing. Sorry if this is old news. I dont think it is though

reply to post by drew1749

I don't know what you have been told, but, the reality of war is people die and bad things happen. Mistakes are made by some and some soldiers go bonko bat # crazy because they cant handle the situation and do things like execute civilians. I have seen it with my own eyes. War is never nice, ever. I can't even put a number on how many house raids I have been on. The results of the raid are dependent on the intel you have going into the situation. Many, many times the intel we would receive from the higher ups would be completely wrong and innocent people got hurt. Not the soldiers fault, it's the idiots that give them the intel to act on and they are the ones that are responsible. That's the truth of the matter. Alot of times this is covered up so the soldiers wont get in trouble for acting on bad info not to intentionally deceive the american people which is fair in my eyes. These soldiers should not be punished for something that is not their fault. That being said, I guess it's time for all the billy haters to comment.

reply to post by billy197300


Not going to cut it. Thats the same type excuse the nazis used when we had them shot for war crimes. Acting on orders of superiors, bullcrap.

Im sorry I support our troops but murder is murder and the cover-up is evidence they knew it was murder.

You took an oath and its high time soldiers started living up to that oath. If they did, this country wouldnt be in the shape its in now.

Many people need be in jail for the entire Iraq fiasco from the top on down.

This type of information more than anything else proves Ron Paul is right as to our foreign policy.

reply to post by billy197300


Oh boy first comment and this is the excuse I get. I know the reality of war isn't pretty. HOWEVER! We are in Iraq and Afganistan to fix their problems! To do that we need their trust! HOW DO WE EARN THE TRUST? By having our troops kill civilians and then covering it up.

Also "THE REALITY OF WAR IS HORRIBLE, WE COVER LOTS OF STUFF UP"

Great logic right there. War is horrible, doesn't mean it needs to be covered up.

Originally posted by drew1749
reply to post by billy197300

 

Oh boy first comment and this is the excuse I get. I know the reality of war isn't pretty. HOWEVER! We are in Iraq and Afganistan to fix their problems! To do that we need their trust! HOW DO WE EARN THE TRUST? By having our troops kill civilians and then covering it up.

Also "THE REALITY OF WAR IS HORRIBLE, WE COVER LOTS OF STUFF UP"

Great logic right there. War is horrible, doesn't mean it needs to be covered up.

We are not in Iraq or Afganistan to fix their problems. We are there to further our political agenda. It's the politicians making the decisions here. Dont blame a soldier, it's just ignorant.

reply to post by billy197300


This isn't a case of "Following orders" It's a case of murder that was covered up. Remember that.

Why can't I blame a soldier for murder? Also if we're there to support a political agenda why are you supporting the troops? That's ridiculous. "It's okay, I like being lied to."

Don't call me ignorant for respecting human life. Or at least trying to. How can you justify murder in your head?

Originally posted by nickoli
reply to post by billy197300

 

Not going to cut it. Thats the same type excuse the nazis used when we had them shot for war crimes. Acting on orders of superiors, bullcrap.

Im sorry I support our troops but murder is murder and the cover-up is evidence they knew it was murder.

You took an oath and its high time soldiers started living up to that oath. If they did, this country wouldnt be in the shape its in now.

Many people need be in jail for the entire Iraq fiasco from the top on down.

This type of information more than anything else proves Ron Paul is right as to our foreign policy.

"You took an oath and its high time soldiers started living up to that oath."

That is exactly how you get into situations like that. If your commander tells you, "these people are building ieds and are armed to the teeth. They are the ones that bombed your convoy and killed your buddy last week, we need to take them out. Go kick the door in and take care of business, expect a fight." You do it. It IS NOT the soldiers fault if they were wrong. They are being good soldiers and following orders and living up to the oath they took. I think some people believe that the military has a magic crystal ball somewhere that constantly feeds them perfect intel. Most of the intel they get is from the locals in the area not from some all seeing magic machine.

When infants and children are executed, any distinction that may have, I repeat - may have existed between us and "our enemies/terrorists/etc," is completely obliterated. End of story. No excuses. For any of us.

reply to post by billy197300


But the soldier joined, not understanding what he was signing up for.

reply to post by billy197300


and he doesn't reply to the reply. You're defending murder. You realize that right?

Who is going to stop it?

Thats the question that needs to be addressed.......

reply to post by billy197300


Being humane, or following an "oath"? What would you pick?

I also realize war is hell. They train these young men, many still teenagers, to become cold blooded killers, and give them fully automatic weapons. Kill enough people, and you will kill a part of yourself, BUT, the execution of unarmed civilians, women, and children, should have consequences, SERIOUS consequences. I understand these young men are serving their country, but do you really want someone who can shoot an infant in cold blood walking our streets when they get back? It's naive to think someone who is capable of slaughtering children won't be a threat to society once they get back, and ANY soldier who participates in these type of criminal activities should be held responsible for their actions.

They may have been given bad intel, but I HIGHLY doubt they had strict orders to handcuff a 5 year old little girl, and then shoot her in the head. Murdering an innocent child in that manner in Iraq should hold the same consequences as if they did the same to an American child here in the states.

reply to post by billy197300


I see your stance on it but heres the deal. They killed KIDS for christs sake. The oath says you will not obey an illegal order and killing 3 yr olds is an illegal act under any circumstances.

Your position is indefensible in this case. Nothing we'll ever get out of Iraq is worth the deaths of these children or our soldiers. I dont care if I have to start riding a horse,this makes me sick.

reply to post by nickoli


I love this song. May I recommend a better video though:

Originally posted by Syyth007
I also realize war is hell. They train these young men, many still teenagers, to become cold blooded killers, and give them fully automatic weapons. Kill enough people, and you will kill a part of yourself, BUT, the execution of unarmed civilians, women, and children, should have consequences, SERIOUS consequences. I understand these young men are serving their country, but do you really want someone who can shoot an infant in cold blood walking our streets when they get back? It's naive to think someone who is capable of slaughtering children won't be a threat to society once they get back, and ANY soldier who participates in these type of criminal activities should be held responsible for their actions.

They may have been given bad intel, but I HIGHLY doubt they had strict orders to handcuff a 5 year old little girl, and then shoot her in the head. Murdering an innocent child in that manner in Iraq should hold the same consequences as if they did the same to an American child here in the states.

That's what wiki leaks says.....I suppose they should be believed religiously and without question? Everyone has an agenda, my guess would be even them. I am not saying murder is ok, and intentionally handcuffing and executing children is WRONG. I am just saying it's not always black and white like that. And no matter what all these haters say it is not the US military's policy to just go around murdering innocent people. You can't blame the whole of the military because a few idiots did something awful. It is the same mentality of a racist, generalizing a group of people.

reply to post by billy197300


are you going to continue to ignore me? This topic is about the covering up of MURDER. How can you defend this. Answer me!

Originally posted by drew1749
reply to post by billy197300

 

are you going to continue to ignore me? This topic is about the covering up of MURDER. How can you defend this. Answer me!

I just did, read one post up.

The concern that the OP eludes to seems to be subtly different from the concern that billy197300 seems to be addressing. That subtle different appears to be rather profound.

To clarify:
The situation here is soldiers handcuffed and executed innocents including children and infants, an airstrike was called in to cover up the evidence and then the Pentagon issued a cover story.
The concern here seems to be that when soldiers do something specifically like this (where there is no confusion in regards to their guilt), not only does the military try to cover it up, but so to the Pentagon. And of course all of the implications attached.

billy197300 appears to be addressing a slightly different concern, that is one of military cover ups of apparent atrocities in general. He is pointing out that often the soldiers are not at fault and therefore a cover up is implemented in order to protect them. There are some pretty heavy implications there as well, but the concern is not the same.

Getting back to the op and the concern it raises; I would like to weigh in by saying that in this situation were soldiers are obviously guilty on what at appears to be a personal level and there is a cover up by the military and Pentagon, is it not reasonable to deduce that there is a very big problem with the military and the Pentagon?