The Haditha investigation carries on- and yet the press seems to have decided that the Marines are definitely guilty; and it seems to me that if they are innocent, no one will believe the final conclusion of the investigation because of all the negative reporting so far. The damage is already done. Just like the fake Koran flushing story.
Over at Michael Yon's website there's an article about the situation that the Marines face. It's worth reading the entire thing to get a glimpse of the threat that the troops in Iraq have to deal with day in and day out.
"you can’t dig a hole in front of someone’s house and plant an IED without them noticing at some point during their daily routine. The people around know something, and it’s evidenced by the fact they were conveniently inside to avoid the explosion. However, they didn’t outwardly aggress on you, and you don’t have a clear target, so you can’t retaliate. Repeat this sequence of events a few times over the course of 6-7 months of combat. Perhaps you bury a few friends as a result. The same scene manifests itself in a myriad of locations and situations. Your friends keep dying, and you have never so much as seen the face of your enemy."
1 comment:
Yes. They must know about it and it must really get at the troops this is happening but was it not the same in WW2 when the germans used to round up the villagers and shoot them after a trap was sprung and the same in vietnam when the same thing happened. It's still a war crime although I, and I'm sure everyone else, would do the same thing. I have no doubt these things happen. Haditha may or may not be one but it is clear we are not seen as liberators but invaders by the general Iraqi population. They see things like Haditha as a price to pay to get rid of us. 100 of their lives for one of ours is a price they are willing to pay and if we take civilians out, accidentally or otherwise, it gives them another 100 martyrs who sign up for a shot at us.
It's only pride that keeps us there. IMO we are doing more harm than good and will eventually be asked to leave so order can be restored while there are some Iraqis left.
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