scoone
01-13-2004, 08:16 AM
U.S. officer says American troops likely shot Iraqis
Tue 13 January, 2004
*******.UK.
By C. Bryson Hull
TIKRIT, Iraq (*******) - A U.S. Army commander says it appears likely American troops were responsible for killing an Iraqi family driving in northern Iraq earlier this month, an incident that has fuelled local tensions.
Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1/22 battalion, had earlier said it was possible U.S. forces were involved in the January 3 incident in which at least three people died in a hail of heavy gunfire.
In comments to reporters on Tuesday, Russell said the evidence pointed more directly to American involvement.
"I think it is likely coalition forces were involved given the fact that a heavy-calibre machine gun was used," Russell, whose unit patrols the area around Tikrit, said.
Russell said the size of the weapon used -- around a 50 calibre -- made it unlikely to be anyone other than U.S. troops. Such guns are generally around two metres long and have to be mounted on a vehicle, which makes them easy for U.S. patrols to spot if Iraqis have them, he said.
The U.S. military says a man, woman and child were killed in the shootings, while Iraqi police say the death toll included two men, a woman and nine-year-old boy. A survivor told Iraqi police an American convoy had opened fire on their vehicle.
Last week, the police chief investigating the shootings, General Mazhar Taha al-Ganaim, said he was "100 percent" certain U.S. troops were responsible for the attack. He said the family was fired upon as their car tried to pass the convoy.
One complication in the investigation, which Russell has turned over to his superiors and is now being handled in Baghdad, is the fact that no soldiers have made a report of any hostile contact, as normal military rules would require.
"The other thing that complicates it is the fact that the main supply road around Tikrit is used by hundreds of different units," Russell said, which leaves open the possibility that no members of the 4th Infantry Division were involved.
Russell said he was confident a full investigation would be conducted, given the media interest and the tragedy of the deaths. He said his unit was cooperating with the U.S. military and Iraqi authority investigations.
It is not the first time U.S. forces have been accused of opening fire on Iraqis travelling close to U.S. convoys.
On Monday, locals said two Iraqis driving behind a U.S. Humvee in Baghdad were killed when soldiers opened fire in a flash of panic after a roadside bomb exploded.
Tue 13 January, 2004
*******.UK.
By C. Bryson Hull
TIKRIT, Iraq (*******) - A U.S. Army commander says it appears likely American troops were responsible for killing an Iraqi family driving in northern Iraq earlier this month, an incident that has fuelled local tensions.
Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1/22 battalion, had earlier said it was possible U.S. forces were involved in the January 3 incident in which at least three people died in a hail of heavy gunfire.
In comments to reporters on Tuesday, Russell said the evidence pointed more directly to American involvement.
"I think it is likely coalition forces were involved given the fact that a heavy-calibre machine gun was used," Russell, whose unit patrols the area around Tikrit, said.
Russell said the size of the weapon used -- around a 50 calibre -- made it unlikely to be anyone other than U.S. troops. Such guns are generally around two metres long and have to be mounted on a vehicle, which makes them easy for U.S. patrols to spot if Iraqis have them, he said.
The U.S. military says a man, woman and child were killed in the shootings, while Iraqi police say the death toll included two men, a woman and nine-year-old boy. A survivor told Iraqi police an American convoy had opened fire on their vehicle.
Last week, the police chief investigating the shootings, General Mazhar Taha al-Ganaim, said he was "100 percent" certain U.S. troops were responsible for the attack. He said the family was fired upon as their car tried to pass the convoy.
One complication in the investigation, which Russell has turned over to his superiors and is now being handled in Baghdad, is the fact that no soldiers have made a report of any hostile contact, as normal military rules would require.
"The other thing that complicates it is the fact that the main supply road around Tikrit is used by hundreds of different units," Russell said, which leaves open the possibility that no members of the 4th Infantry Division were involved.
Russell said he was confident a full investigation would be conducted, given the media interest and the tragedy of the deaths. He said his unit was cooperating with the U.S. military and Iraqi authority investigations.
It is not the first time U.S. forces have been accused of opening fire on Iraqis travelling close to U.S. convoys.
On Monday, locals said two Iraqis driving behind a U.S. Humvee in Baghdad were killed when soldiers opened fire in a flash of panic after a roadside bomb exploded.