U.S. Helicopter Strike Murders Defenseless Iraqi Children—and AP Loves It!
The U.S. military massacred a vehicle full of Iraqi farmers and children earlier today, and Associated Press crooks (editors) are doing their damnedest to shift the blame off the state murderers.
Three stories were published, each with a different headline title, and each with a more pro-murderer point of view in the title and within the body.
US helicopter strike kills children
10 hours agoBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi police say eight civilians have been killed by a U.S. helicopter strike north of Baghdad. The U.S. military says the strike was targeting al-Qaida militants but acknowledges some civilian deaths including children.
Associated Press TV News footage shows the bodies of three children among the dead after the strike Wednesday night near Beiji.
The U.S. military says the helicopter was targeting an al-Qaida weapons storage facility when it fired on a vehicle whose occupants “exhibited hostile intent.” The military does not specify how many people were killed but says the dead included children in the vehicle.
Beiji police Col. Mudhher al-Qaisi says the eight dead were civilian farmers and their children who were fleeing U.S. raids in the area.
Iraqi official says US strike kills children
By SINAN SALAHUDDIN – 7 hours agoBAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. helicopter strike north of Baghdad killed eight civilians, including several children, an Iraqi police official said Thursday. The U.S. military said the assault targeted al-Qaida fighters but acknowledged that children died.
Associated Press TV News footage showed the bodies of three children in blood-drenched clothes, along with the bodies of five men, at the hospital in Beiji, where the dead were taken after Wednesday evening’s strike.
Beiji police Col. Mudhher al-Qaisi said the eight were civilian farmers who were fleeing in their vehicle from an area outside the town where U.S. forces were conducting raids. He said the helicopter became suspicious of the vehicle and opened fire.
The U.S. military said American forces were targeting an al-Qaida in Iraq weapons storage facility believed connected to a suicide bombing network. It said the helicopter opened fire on the vehicle when some of its occupants “exhibited hostile intent,” and that children in the vehicle were killed.
The military statement did not specify the total number of people killed or elaborate on how the vehicle showed hostile intent. It and al-Qaisi said two children were killed, and the reason for the discrepancy with the footage from the hospital was not known.
The U.S. military “sincerely regrets when any innocent civilians are injured, resulting from terrorists locating themselves in and around them. We take every precaution to protect innocent civilians and engage only hostile threats,” said spokesman Col. Jerry O’Hara in the statement.
The civilian deaths could strain ties between the U.S. military and Sunni Arabs who have turned against al-Qaida in Iraq and have joined American forces in fighting Sunni insurgents in regions west and north of Baghdad. Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, lies in a largely Sunni Arab area.
[...]
US strike on al-Qaida kills children
By KIM GAMEL – 2 hours agoBAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. helicopter strike north of Baghdad killed eight people in a vehicle, including at least two children, Iraqi officials said Thursday, insisting all the dead were civilians. The U.S. military said six were al-Qaida militants but acknowledged children were killed.
AP Television News footage showed the bodies of three children in blood-drenched clothes — the eldest appearing to be in his early teens — along with the bodies of five men, at the hospital in Beiji, where the dead were taken after Wednesday evening’s strike.
Iraqi and U.S. officials each put the number of slain children at two. The reason for the discrepancies between the two accounts and the TV footage was not known.
It was the latest incident threatening to alienate Sunni Arabs, who have played a key role in the steep decline in violence over the past year by joining forces with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq. Beiji, an oil hub 155 miles north of Baghdad, lies in a largely Sunni Arab area.
[...]
In the attack near Beiji, the military said its forces were targeting members of an al-Qaida suicide bombing network. The forces engaged the occupants of a vehicle after they refused to surrender and “exhibited hostile intent.”
It said five suspected “terrorists” were killed along with two children in the vehicle. A sixth militant was killed in a field next to the road, according to a statement.
Beiji police Col. Mudhher al-Qaisi, however, said the dead were six civilian farmers and two children who were fleeing in their vehicle from the area after the U.S. forces launched their raids. He said a U.S. helicopter became suspicious of their vehicle and opened fire on it.
“The residents feel angry now over this act by the American troops. The victims were unarmed and work as farmers,” al-Qaisi said.
Mohammed al-Shimmari, who lives in the area, said the raid took place when a group of his relatives gathered at the home of his cousin after hearing he would be released soon from U.S. custody. He said the Americans were holding the cousin on suspicion of insurgent ties.
When U.S. forces launched a raid on the cousin’s house, those inside fled. They included the group of eight in a minibus, which was then struck by the helicopter, said al-Shimmari, who lives near his cousin.
The U.S. military refused to confirm the mode of attack or specify what weapons were used, saying only that its forces “engaged the target vehicle’s occupants.”
U.S. spokesman Col. Jerry O’Hara said the military “sincerely regrets when any innocent civilians are injured, resulting from terrorists locating themselves in and around them. We take every precaution to protect innocent civilians and engage only hostile threats BLAMES THE VICTIMS FOR BEING IRAQIS AND NOT BENDING OVER AND TAKING IT IN THE REAR.”
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These bastards are war criminals, and AP editors are accomplices. As usual, there is no mention of how heinous a war crime it is to target UNARMED HUMAN BEINGS—no matter whether they are considered militants or civilians! There is no account of independent groups or the UN—only AP-contrived controversy between “Iraqi officials” and the murderers themselves.
Corporate media must die!
