BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said it killed around 40 people in an attack on suspected foreign fighters in Iraq near the Syrian border on Wednesday, but disputed reports the victims were members of a wedding party.

The attack occurred on a day when a U.S. soldier was sentenced to one year in jail for abusing Iraqi prisoners and President Bush prepared to deliver a keynote speech next week to stem slipping support at home and abroad over Iraq.

"We conducted an operation...against suspected foreign fighters in a safe house. We took ground fire and we returned fire," said Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq.

Kimmitt said the attack 15 miles from the Syrian border had been carried out within the military's rules of engagement and that Syrian passports, satellite communications equipment and a large amount of money had been found afterwards.

Dubai-based Al Arabiya television quoted witnesses as saying U.S. warplanes had bombarded the village of Makr al-Deeb near the Syrian border while families were attending a wedding party, killing 41 people.

Arabiya said casualties included women and children and showed pictures of several shrouded bodies lined up on a dirt road. Men were shown digging graves and lowering bodies, one of a child, into the pits while relatives wept.

"The U.S. planes dropped more than 100 bombs on us," an unidentified man, who said he was from the village, told the television station.

"They hit two homes where the wedding was being held and then they leveled the whole village. No bullets were fired by us, nothing was happening," he said.


Opinions will be devided on this one, but if this truly was a weddingparty, i wonder what kind of idiot brings an AK47 to such an event. Didn't something similar happen in Afghanistan two years ago ? Is there really no other way these people can express their happiness then by firing in the air with automatic assault rifles ?

You gotta admit this is a stupid thing to do, especially when there are US helicopters scouting the area.

Yes - opinions will be divided. If it WAS a wedding party some of us may recoil at the sight of a headless child. Others won't worry about it. Those who don't worry are probably the same ones who had many sleepless nights when Saddam came to power. Worrying themselves silly about the way he was treating his people. Waiting for the day that we would go in there, kick his arse and free the Iraqi people.

As to what sort of idiots take an AK47 to a wedding - the answer is foreign idiots. It's how they celebrate.

It's called military ignorance of the culture of people who live in the lands you trying to keep secure. Simple as that. Just like the last time this happened in Afganistan.

Mark

Why israel does not ask for 'clearence and explanation" about this event? Why no one does? hmm. Welcome to the 2 faced world of hypocrites.

Well, perhaps it would be wiser if they blow out candles on a cake, especially when there's helicopters around. It's asking for trouble imo.

[ 05-20-2004, 07:04 AM: Message edited by: johnny ]

Just wanted to note this likely will be the lightest sentence meted out -- it's what the guy who only took photos and flipped on the others got. He will be a witness in the 6 other trials.

Skywalker, maybe it's just an ingorant culture. I'm trying to develop some ground rules for indicia of stupid cultures. One I think I've got nailed down is that if you spend your free time ululating and firing crappy Russian assault rifles in the air, you're not really worth the air you're breathing. My 2 cents.

Anyway, I don't believe they just attacked a wedding party outright. Until I see proof otherwise, I'll believe our troops were engaged and took fire and returned fire.

[ 05-20-2004, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

Well, perhaps it would be wiser if they blow out candles on a cake, especially when there's helicopters around. It's asking for trouble imo. </font>[/QUOTE]<font color="#C4C1CA">Well Johnny, why not ask the people of Enschede whether they will ban fireworks which, every year, are responsible for hundreds of mutilations and deaths in the Netherlands - and the answer will be a resounding NO - despite the fact that these 'dangerous munitions' all but destroyed their town.

Ask US citizens to give them up on July 4th, the French to stop using them on July 14th and the British to abstain on Nov 14th - and all will say NO to it too - and all on the same grounds. It's tradition - native tradition - and those days simply WOULD NOT BE THE SAME without them. For us, the relatively high risk involved in their usage is worth it.

And BTW, it's extremely rare for people to be hurt by firing guns into the air at these celebrations in the ME - and far safer than the dangers involved in letting off fireworks. So why should ordinary people give up on their traditions because a foreign power doesn't have the sense to check out what's going on before opening fire?</font>

<font color="#C4C1CA">
And one could equally say that if you spend your free time ululating and firing crappy Chinese gunpowder munitions in the air, you're not really worth the air your breathing. My 2 Yuan.
</font>

[ 05-20-2004, 10:00 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]

Que???????

Que??????? </font>[/QUOTE]Okay, I made a typo - 4th Nov is Guy Fawkes night.
Sorry, Donut, but I'm only perfect for 99.99% of the time.... ;)

Agreed. Have my additional 2 drachma.