U.S. soldiers accidentally kill Sunni leader in Iraq

Wow.

"Wow" is right, Sushi.

They need to be paid?

Wow.

USAR

If they ask for an apology, I'm sure they'll get one--at least a qualified apology. However, I don't think there is any way to prevent this kind of mistake short of our not being there to make it.

They need to issue Sunni T Shirts to the good guys so they can tell who is who...

Wow.

What a screw up.

Why is America in Iraq again? Is it because George Bush said so, or is there an actual reason for the occupation?

Why is America in Iraq again? Is it because George Bush said so, or is there an actual reason for the occupation?

Good question. Like you I still believe bush wants all da oil. Gonna have it pumped direct, to the ranch.

Sush, go to whitehouse.com

She'll explain it in further detail

USAR

Alinsky4prez - seems like you are completely unable to take any kind of responsibility at all for your - presumed - support for this failed war.

They need to be paid?

Did you think they ran on sand? Or only work as soldiers after a full day at the office? Yes they need to be paid. Many probably have families or hope to one day.

Even soldiers of the continental army in the United State's War of Independence expected to be paid. Money is life.

Even our soldiers today expect to be paid.

--Cirroc

'Friendly fire' - awful euphemistic word that should be banned. What a great way to get off-side with your allies, idiots!

stanoue - I'd be careful who you called 'idiots' on this board - there's still some posters who wrap themselves in the US flag and think that doing so makes everything OK, legal and permissable.

Meanwhile, the rest of us live in the real world.

"idiots"

The "idiots" had come under fire when they were searching a house. When soldiers come under fire, they usually return fire.

Oh, I'm sorry - in my country, when someone screws up their job it is OK to criticise. If for example a policeman shot a totally innocent person - no, let's say, shot another policeman - then I would call them an idiot.

The "idiots" had come under fire when they were searching a house. When soldiers come under fire, they usually return fire

Well, when coming under fire I would prefer it if the fire was returned at the people who started it.

"If for example a policeman shot a totally innocent person- no, let's say, shot another policeman - then I would call them an idiot."

I guess you'd be calling thousands of good, brave policemen around the world idiots, then.

"Well, when coming under fire I would prefer it if the fire was returned at the people who started it."

War is hell, stanoue. Didn't you know that?

"War is hell, stanoue. Didn't you know that?"

Sarge - lame excuse. You would be believable if you had actually fought in a war, but...

This is just yet another screw up by soldiers who have been put in harms way for all the wrong reasons, and it's sad to see posters like like Sarge - who have zero actual battlefield experience - trying in vain to defend it way after the horse has bolted.

Apparently Sushi doesn't know that war is hell either. These soldiers were firing in self-defense. The "innocent" Sunni leader ( remember, the Sunnis were the ones who had it good under good ol' Saddam ) was in the house that the Sunnis had been warned to stay clear of.

I agree with Sarge. These soldiers were performing their duty under fire.

These things happen when you have an enemy constantly trying to kill you and hiding amongst innocents like the cowards they are.

USANeoCon - "I agree with Sarge. These soldiers were performing their duty under fire."

Now we have 2 people who have no idea what they are talking about :-)

The reasoning behind comments like this is like ..I can only call it 'Paris Hilton' for its inane shallowness and stunning lack of insight. :-)

This war is bad, and George Bush makes the soldiers kill thousands of Iraq'S. Obama will stop the fighting and, like , make peace. Why does Bush want so much war and to kill Iraqi people, its nuts man!

i wonder what to say afterwards, oops my bad.

The head of the group in Siniyah, Jassim al-Garrout, was killed after he rushed to the site of an ambush against U.S. forces in the area, which lies between the northern oil-hub of Beiji and Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, according to witnesses and police. The troops then came under fire while searching a house and “shot a Sons of Iraq leader who was mistaken for the enemy when he entered the house,” said Navy Lt Cmdr David Russell, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. Medical aid was administered, the military said, but the troops were unable to save al-Garrout.

Russell said the U.S. soldiers had warned their Sunni allies to identify themselves and to stay clear of the house, and the shooting was being investigated.

Since most say such uneducated things as

I'd be careful who you called 'idiots' on this board - there's still some posters who wrap themselves in the US flag and think that doing so makes everything OK, legal and permissable.(has nothing to do with flag wrapping it has to do with being in the situation before , you know under fire from an enemy force,your such a drama queen)**

Meanwhile, the rest of us live in the real world. (hrmm have you been to war and done urban combat in a hostile area?)

Or heres another good one said by BarryHObarmy/Sushisake3/USANeoCon/what ever other name this person uses..

Now we have 2 people who have no idea what they are talking about :-)

The reasoning behind comments like this is like ..I can only call it 'Paris Hilton' for its inane shallowness and stunning lack of insight. :-) (talking to yourself again? no one considers these phoney post real except you? If I didnt know any better then I would say you generated them)

For the rest of the people who understand underfire situations we can see how an accident like this happened.. Soldiers are in a urban combat small arms fire situation when a man dressed in traditional arab clothing comes running though the fire fight zone and enters a house being searched by the soldiers, they see this man running at them and they shoot..

It happens with policemen in every country, they shoot a child who grabs a cell phone after being told dont move, or any other situation where the tension is high.

It is a horrible thing to happen but why is this individual running into a hot zone then into the actual building being searched??? Seems a very foolish move to me.. I try not to run into gun battles, you tend to get shot.

Sorry but if you havent been in this type of situation its easy to say stupid this or stupid that..

It happens with policemen in every country, they shoot a child who grabs a cell phone

That does NOT happen in 'every country'. I hope parents everywhere would be horrified and raise an unholy stink if it happened in any country.

why is this individual running into a hot zone then into the actual building being searched??? Seems a very foolish move to me.

The article says he was killed after he rushed to the site of an ambush against U.S. forces in the area. In other words he was foolish enough to try and help his allies while of an Arab appearance. In future when US troops are injured maybe their Iraqi allies will just leave them lying where they are; they would be very foolish to try and help, wouldn't they? Especially if they happened to be wearing 'traditional garb', which apparently is a crime in itself.

As you say, its easy to say stupid this or stupid that.

The correct response to incidents like these is not to bring in excuses galore, but to offer a full apology. The pro war crowd also needs to learn this, to offer regret, not make excuses. Fact is troops can ill afford to allow these "friendly fire" incidents to pile up as has been going on, with the mess things are already in. This isn't the time to be arrogant, if it were the other way around and Iraqi forces accidentally killed U.S. troops the same people here and elsewhere would be screaming for their heads.

..if some of the wanna be presidents don't even know what a sunni is then how will the soldiers even know which one is the sunni leader...(i'm joking)... ranks along side watching a us soldier at the beginning of the iraq war gob smacked that the local Iraqis couldn't understand his English orders how ever loudly he shouted. Its a shame when some peoples reputation are so bad that people regularly presume the worse before actually knowing whether the truth is any better.

That will cost them.

The US was stupid to get into this Sunni-Shiite mess. They should leave the Shiite and Sunni Arabs to slug it out and help the only group who really appreciates them -- the Kurdish Sunnis, who are the only ones of the whole bunch who are actually practising a moderate islam and deserve their freedom. But they´ll be the big losers in the end.

Warned to stay away but rushing in? Well then this result will happen. The US forces don't have a good track record of keeping their allies safe. Best to heed warnings.

is iraq really a war zone? no big deal? if the war on terror is gonna continue period then war zone even if incorrectly describing a place cannot be an excuse.

It doesn't require a lot of imagination to aknowledge that there always is a good percentage of confusion on any battlefield.

The americans made it a warzone their damn selves. Stop shooting people who are dressed the way normal people dress in their own bloody neighbourhoods. Better yet yankee soldiers, stop shooting people in general.

Something tells me it was NO accident...there's more going on here than they are saying.

Cleo Name a country that hasnt had a friendly fire situation, please prove me wrong on it happens in every country... Cause I wish you were right and not just talking...

Once again since you havent been in a urban fire fight I will put your comments in the trash were they belong.. You dont have time to judge is this man running at me an innocent or is he attacking me, you have to react or die, but you wont understand it so Im not wasting my time explaining it to you again.

Im not pro war nor do I even like war, but Ive been in it and I know what is going through your mind when people are shooting at you while they hide in schools, churches, houses, or behind innocents..

As far as an Apology that is always done, but what good does it do, the victums family never sees it as an accident and the soldier who shoot him never forgets he killed an innocent....

The cure is to let all the countries of the world police and fight for their own and the US to stop wasting our money and our people helping the rest of the world.. That goes for aid or any type of economical support to every country. Let the world do what it wants as long as it doesnt affect us directly..

Nippon5:

You dont have time to judge is this man running at me an innocent or is he attacking me, you have to react or die, but you wont understand it so Im not wasting my time explaining it to you again.

You might be right about that. Nonetheless, a crime was committed and ended in the death of a Sunni leader. Those who perpetrated this crime must serve the time. It is the same if a cop accidentally killed an unarmed civilian in the line of duty. An investigation would be held and justice would be served. He or she would still have to serve their sentence and do time even if the circumstances were extreme. Heck, it's the same when someone is driving on the street, swerves to avoid hitting a cat, but ends up killing a pedestrian. They are guilty nonetheless.