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US military lied about soldiers' deaths |
by Steven R. Hurst and Qassim Abdul-Zahra,
Associated Press Jan. 26, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq -- Contrary to public statements by the US military, four US soldiers did not die repelling a sneak attack at the governor's office in the Shiite holy city of Karbala last week. New information obtained by The Associated Press shows they were abducted and found dead or dying as far as 25 miles away.
The brazen assault, 50 miles south of Baghdad on Jan. 20, was conducted by nine to 12 militants posing as an American security team. They traveled in black GMC Suburban vehicles -- the type used by US government convoys -- had American weapons, wore new US military combat fatigues, and spoke English.
In a written statement, the US command reported at the time that five soldiers were killed while "repelling the attack." Now, two senior US military officials as well as Iraqi officials say four of the five were captured and taken from the governor's compound alive. Three of them were found dead and one mortally wounded later that evening in locations as far as 25 miles east of the governor's office.
The US officials said they could not be sure where the soldiers were shot after being captured at the compound. Iraqi officials said they believe the men were killed just before the Suburbans were abandoned.
The commando team also took an unclassified US computer with them as its members fled with the four soldiers and left behind an American M-4 automatic rifle, senior US military officials said.
The new information has emerged after nearly a week of inquiries. The US military in Baghdad repeatedly declined comment on reports that began emerging from Iraqi government and military officials which suggested a major breakdown in security at Karbala site.
The two senior American military officials now confirm the reports, gathered by The Associated Press from five senior Iraqi government, military and religious leaders. The US military also has provided additional details from internal military accounts.
None of the American or Iraqi officials would allow use of their names because of the sensitive nature of the information.
The Karbala raid, as explained by the Iraqi and American officials, began after nightfall at about 6 p.m. on Jan. 20, while American military officers were meeting with their Iraqi counterparts on the main floor of the Provisional Joint Coordination Center (PJCC) in Karbala.
The first US military statement on the raid, which reported five soldiers killed and three wounded, said "the PJCC is a coordination center where local Iraqi officials, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces stationed within the center meet to address the security needs of the population."
Iraqi officials said the approaching convoy of black GMC Suburbans was waved through an Iraqi checkpoint at the edge of Karbala. The Iraqi soldiers believed it to be American because of the type of vehicles, the distinctive camouflage American uniforms and the fact that they spoke English. One Iraqi official said the leader of the assault team was blond, but no other official confirmed that.
A top Iraqi security official for Karbala province told the AP that the Iraqi guards at the checkpoint radioed ahead to their compatriots at the PJCC to alert them that the convoy was on its way.
Iraqi officials said the attackers' convoy divided upon arrival, with some vehicles parking at the back of the main building where the meeting was taking place, others parked in front.
The US military in Baghdad received a first report of the attack about 6:15 p.m., the senior US military officials said.
The attackers threw a grenade and opened fire with automatic rifles as they grabbed two soldiers inside the compound. Then the guerrilla assault team jumped on top of an armored US Humvee and captured two more soldiers, the US military officials said.
One US soldier was killed in the melee at the compound, and three were wounded.
All the officials agreed the four abducted soldiers did not die in the fighting at the compound in Karbala, but it was unclear where they were killed.
The attackers fled with the four and the computer and headed east toward Mahwil, in neighboring Babil province, about 25 miles away, the US military officials said.
The US accounts did not say where the soldiers were killed. Iraqi officials said the four were captured alive and shot just before the vehicles were abandoned.
Iraqi officials said the US military found the four US soldiers in the Suburbans near Bu-Alwan, a village near Mahawil.
The US officials, who had seen incident reports of the assault, said the documents indicated two of the soldiers were found in one of the Suburbans at one location and two others in a second Suburban elsewhere. The exact locations were not specified, they said.
Both sides agreed that -- when found -- three soldiers were dead and one was wounded and died as US troops rushed the service member away for treatment.
Three days afterward, the US military in Baghdad announced the arrest of four suspects in the attack and said they had been detained on a tip from a Karbala resident. No further information was released about the suspects.
Archived from original publication
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Commentary by Helen & Harry Highwater:
So these American soldiers didn’t give their lives as we were told, defending Iraqi territory from an Iraqi assault. Instead they were captured alive, taken away, presumably tortured and killed elsewhere.
Of course, the soldiers are just as dead either way, so does it matter that we were lied to about their deaths?
If this was an isolated lie, one public relations officer spinning the facts into something not-so-factual but perhaps a tad more heroic-sounding, maybe you could argue that the lie doesn't matter much.
But facts are facts, and the fact is, this is just one in a seemingly-endless series of lies from official sources about Iraq.
From the original reasons for attacking Iraq, to "Mission accomplished", to the torture, the day-to-day reports, the alleged sovereignty of Iraq -- we've been lied to, countless times. At some point, if you don't believe in Santa Claus, you can't believe a word you're told by Bush, Cheney, and the American military command.
Fact is, America's public conversation on Iraq has been contaminated by countless lies from the White House and military command. So many of official announcements have been just plain bull, any wise observer has to doubt anything this administration says.
And now, Bush, Cheney, and their league of liars are about to attack another nation, based on another set of lies ...
Helen & Harry
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Sept. 29, 2003:
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Oct. 20, 2003:
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Bush lied about Iraq
Dec. 15, 2003:
Before authorizing attack
on Iraq, Senators were told
Iraqi weapons could hit US
Feb. 1, 2004:
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May 10, 2004:
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war in Iraq, study says
Nov. 19, 2004:
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May 1, 2005:
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war on Iraq a year in advance
Nov. 6, 2005:
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and DIA document shows
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Dec. 10, 2005:
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torturing "informant" until
he said what they wanted
March 2, 2006:
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before attack on Iraq,
Saddam posed no threat
March 14, 2006:
Bush blames Iran for Iraqi
resistance ... but there's no
proof of Iran's involvement,
says Chair of US Joint Chiefs
July 23, 2006:
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US military commanders still
oversaw torture in Iraq
Sept. 11, 2006:
Military lied about Iraqi deaths
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