[OPP]

$1:

By Ali Al-Fadhily, IPS News. Posted January 8, 2008.

The recent killing of two U.S. soldiers by their Iraqi colleague has raised disturbing questions about U.S. military relations with the Iraqis they work with.

On Dec. 26, an Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S. soldiers accompanying him during a joint military patrol in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. He killed the U.S. captain and another sergeant, and wounded three others, including an Iraqi interpreter.

Conflicting versions of the killing have arisen. Col. Hazim al-Juboory, uncle of the attacker Kaissar Saady al-Juboory, told IPS that his nephew at first watched the U.S. soldiers beat up an Iraqi woman. When he asked them to stop, they refused, so he opened fire.

"Kaissar is a professional soldier who revolted against the Americans when they dragged a woman by her hair in a brutal way," Col. Juboory said. "He is a tribal man, and an Arab with honor who would not accept such behavior. He killed his captain and sergeant knowing that he would be executed."

Others gave IPS a similar account. "I was there when the American captain and his soldiers raided a neighborhood and started shouting at women to tell them where some men they wanted were," a resident of Mosul, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS on phone. "The women told them they did not know, and their men did not do anything wrong, and started crying in fear."

The witness said the U.S. captain began to shout at his soldiers and the women, and his men then started to grab the women and pull them by their hair.

"The soldier we knew later to be Kaissar shouted at the Americans, 'No, no,' but the captain shouted back at the Iraqi soldier," the witness told IPS. "Then the Iraqi soldier shouted, 'Let go of the women, you sons of bitches,' and started shooting at them." The soldier, he said, then ran off.

The Association of Muslim Scholars, a Sunni organization, issued a statement saying the Iraqi soldier had shot the U.S. soldiers after he saw them beat up a pregnant woman.

"His blood rose and he asked the occupying soldiers to stop beating the woman," they said in the statement. "Their answer through the translator was: 'We will do what we want.' So he opened fire on them."

The story was first reported on al-Rafidain satellite channel. That started Iraqis from all over the country talking about "the hero" who sacrificed his life for Iraqi honor.

The U.S. and Iraqi military told a different version of the story.

An Iraqi general told reporters that Kaissar carried out the attack because he had links to "Sunni Arab insurgent groups."

"Soldier Kaissar Saady worked for insurgent groups who pushed him to learn army movements and warn his comrades about them," a captain of the second Iraqi army division told IPS. "There are so many like him in the army and now within the so-called Awakening forces (militias funded by the U.S. military)."

One army officer speaking on condition of anonymity described Kaissar's act as heroic. "Those Americans learned their lesson once more."

Sheikh Juma' al-Dawar, chief of the major al-Baggara tribe in Iraq, told IPS in Baghdad that "Kaissar is from the al-Juboor tribes in Gayara -- tribes with morals that Americans do not understand."

The tribal chief added, "Juboor tribes and all other tribes are proud of Kaissar and what he did by killing the American soldiers. Now he is a hero, with a name that will never be forgotten."

Many Iraqis speak in similar vein. "It is another example of Iraqi people's unity despite political conspiracies by the Americans and their tails (collaborators)," Mohammad Nassir, an independent politician in Baghdad told IPS. "Kaissar is loved by all Iraqis who pray for his safety and who are ready to donate anything for his welfare."

Col. Juboory said Kaissar who had at first accepted collaboration with the U.S. forces "found the truth too bitter to put up with." The colonel said: "I worked with the Americans because being an army officer is my job, and also because I was convinced they would help Iraqis. But 11 months was enough for me to realize that starving to death is more honorable than serving the occupiers. They were mean in every way."

Independent sources have since told IPS that Kaissar was captured by a special joint Iraqi-U.S. force, and he is now being held and tortured at the al-Ghizlany military camp in Mosul.

Despite a recent decline in the number of occupation forces being killed, 2007 was the deadliest year of the occupation for U.S. troops, with 901 killed, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

http://alternet.org/waroniraq/72996/

[Donny_Brasco]

Good for him.

[OPP]

Donny_Brasco Donny_Brasco:

Good for him.

Like this bit: "The colonel said: "I worked with the Americans because being an army officer is my job, and also because I was convinced they would help Iraqis. But 11 months was enough for me to realize that starving to death is more honorable than serving the occupiers. They were mean in every way." "

[mtbr]

OPP OPP:

Donny_Brasco Donny_Brasco:

Good for him.

Like this bit: "The colonel said: "I worked with the Americans because being an army officer is my job, and also because I was convinced they would help Iraqis. But 11 months was enough for me to realize that starving to death is more honorable than serving the occupiers. They were mean in every way." "

Al Qaeda paid higher wages.

[sasquatch2]

At this point i am suspicious. Personal testimony is the least credible evidence.

EVERYBODY LIES!

House

[kenmore]

of course he is a hero... the war in Iraq is a failure.. the Iraqis are allowing supporters of sadam's regime to return to the government.. so much for small successes.. when the US pulls out it will be business as usual in Iraq a return to what they had before the war and a continuation of anti US sentiment.. this was was useless ... I suppose this guy is a hero in many countries esp in the middle east...

[mtbr]

kenmore kenmore:

of course he is a hero... the war in Iraq is a failure.. the Iraqis are allowing supporters of sadam's regime to return to the government.. so much for small successes.. when the US pulls out it will be business as usual in Iraq a return to what they had before the war and a continuation of anti US sentiment.. this was was useless ... I suppose this guy is a hero in many countries esp in the middle east...

and the Nation of Quebec

[kenmore]

no I dont think any Canadian would consider him a hero. but there are alot of countries with anit american sentiment and its not just the middle east.. Bush is not particularily liked in Europe as well..

[EyeBrock]

kenmore kenmore:

of course he is a hero... the war in Iraq is a failure.. the Iraqis are allowing supporters of sadam's regime to return to the government.. so much for small successes.. when the US pulls out it will be business as usual in Iraq a return to what they had before the war and a continuation of anti US sentiment.. this was was useless ... I suppose this guy is a hero in many countries esp in the middle east...

You think guys who kill our allies are heroes?

You really are bitter and nasty. Oh and sick.

[Zipperfish]

Well, if they were beating women up, good for him. I don't know why Amercians are always so surprsied when the enemy shoots at them. They go in, invade and occupy the country and then when someone shoots back they act as if they're not playing by the "rules."

[Schleihauf]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

kenmore kenmore:

of course he is a hero... the war in Iraq is a failure.. the Iraqis are allowing supporters of sadam's regime to return to the government.. so much for small successes.. when the US pulls out it will be business as usual in Iraq a return to what they had before the war and a continuation of anti US sentiment.. this was was useless ... I suppose this guy is a hero in many countries esp in the middle east...

You think guys who kill our allies are heroes?

You really are bitter and nasty. Oh and sick.

I'm thinking the same thing. If you don't support the war then thats fine but when you support the guys that kill American troops thats just disgusting.

[OPP]

Schleihauf Schleihauf:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

kenmore kenmore:

of course he is a hero... the war in Iraq is a failure.. the Iraqis are allowing supporters of sadam's regime to return to the government.. so much for small successes.. when the US pulls out it will be business as usual in Iraq a return to what they had before the war and a continuation of anti US sentiment.. this was was useless ... I suppose this guy is a hero in many countries esp in the middle east...

You think guys who kill our allies are heroes?

You really are bitter and nasty. Oh and sick.

I'm thinking the same thing. If you don't support the war then thats fine but when you support the guys that kill American troops thats just disgusting.

Eh, buddy. Draging pregnant women by their hair while screaming at them is disgusting. Killing soldiers that occupy your country and who are commiting these acts is a nessecity if you want that to change.

[Bacardi4206]

IF they were actually pulling a women by her hair, and beating her up. Then they deserved what they got, but remember his word is not creditable. If he does have links to groups, then of course hes going to lie about it. He's not going to sit there and say, "Yeah I killed them because I am part of this so and so group".

This action, where he stated is a good plan to get more iraqi's to stand up against nato troops. As apparently is working. The Iraq Soldier's statement was a little fuzzy, I mean soldiers know that when they do something, there is no escaping getting caught. Getting charged for war crimes, is a lot worse then getting charged for regular crimes at home.

It doesn't make any sense that they would beat up a women, drag her by her hair and do whatever else to her. That would imply that every single soldier there has no concious, and did these acts without hesitating about them which as a human being I find to be unlikely. Further more, this Iraqi Soldier shot every single one of them? For something like that, you would have to catch the soldiers off gaurd. Something simular to him standing behind them, as they were on patrol and shooting them all in the back while they are close together >.<.

Anyways, all this seems unlikely and improbable. Not saying it isn't true, it could be. Just saying I don't believe it.

[EyeBrock]

OPP's distaste of the US quickly eases any misgivings he may have about the credibility of any article that shows the US in a bad light.

It's called hatred.

[OPP]

Bacardi4206 Bacardi4206:

IF they were actually pulling a women by her hair, and beating her up. Then they deserved what they got, but remember his word is not creditable. If he does have links to groups, then of course hes going to lie about it. He's not going to sit there and say, "Yeah I killed them because I am part of this so and so group".

This action, where he stated is a good plan to get more iraqi's to stand up against nato troops. As apparently is working. The Iraq Soldier's statement was a little fuzzy, I mean soldiers know that when they do something, there is no escaping getting caught. Getting charged for war crimes, is a lot worse then getting charged for regular crimes at home.

It doesn't make any sense that they would beat up a women, drag her by her hair and do whatever else to her. That would imply that every single soldier there has no concious, and did these acts without hesitating about them which as a human being I find to be unlikely. Further more, this Iraqi Soldier shot every single one of them? For something like that, you would have to catch the soldiers off gaurd. Something simular to him standing behind them, as they were on patrol and shooting them all in the back while they are close together >.<.

Anyways, all this seems unlikely and improbable. Not saying it isn't true, it could be. Just saying I don't believe it.

You mean you don't WANT to believe it. There were a number of eyewitness accounts supporting this story.