Bangkoktraveler Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Gulf Daily News May 19, 2008 An American soldier used a Quran for target practice in a predominantly Sunni area west of Baghdad, prompting an apology from the US military, a spokesman said yesterday. Separately, mortar shells slammed into a residential area north of the Iraqi capital, killing at least four people and wounding 30, most children playing outside, officials said yesterday. The shelling occurred as clashes broke out in Shi'ite areas despite a truce reached last week by Shi'ite politicians and followers of anti-US cleric Moqtada Al Sadr. Iraqi police found the bullet-riddled Quran with graffiti inside the cover on a small-arms range near a police station in Radwaniyah, a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, US military spokesman Col Bill Buckner said. American commanders then launched an inquiry that led to disciplinary action against the soldier, who has been removed from Iraq, Buckner said. Bandaged girls and boys with bloodstained clothes cried as they were packed two to a bed at a hospital in Sadr City. At least three mortar rounds struck a house, an open area and a street where boys were playing soccer in the Maamil neighbourhood in Baghdad, witnesses said. Those killed included a man and three children, according to police and hospital officials who also said at least 30 people were wounded. Associated Press photos showed men holding two dead babies bundled in blankets. Relatives identified them as one-year-old Zahra Kadhim and two-year-old Abbas Nadim. In other violence, an American soldier was killed and another was wounded yesterday by a blast in Salaheddin province in northern Iraq, the US military said. Sporadic gunbattles also occurred in some areas of Sadr City, but no casualties were reported, police said. The US military said that Iraqi soldiers captured a "special groups" cell leader blamed for co-ordinating roadside bombings and rocket attacks against troops, in an operation in Husseiniyah, about 30km north of Baghdad. US soldiers also killed two "special groups" militants after coming under attack by a roadside bomb and small-arms fire in Kazimiyah. 'Special groups' refers to Shi'ite militia fighters who are ignoring Sadr's ceasefire order. The military said 15 suspects have been detained in raids targeting Al Qaeda in Iraq. US airstrikes also killed six militants and destroyed a weapons cache after troops were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire near Khan Bani Saad, north of Baghdad, according to a military statement. A parked car bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol in eastern Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding six other people, police said. US forces foiled a possible car bombingon after detaining two men in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul where security forces are cracking down on Al Qaeda, the American military said. l A Turkish soldier was killed and two others were wounded yesterday during clashes with Kurdish fighters in the souteast of the country, local sources said. Also, a member of security staff at the Turkish embassy in Baghdad was wounded when attackers opened fire near the mission. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayT Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 KISS AND MAKE UP An American sniper was removed from Iraq after he used a copy of the Quran for target practice, the military said Sunday, a day after a U.S. commander held a [color:red]formal ceremony apologizing to Sunni tribal leaders.[/color] [color:red]"I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond was quoted as saying at the ceremony. "In the most humble manner I look in your eyes today and I say please forgive me and my soldiers." "The actions of one soldier were nothing more than criminal behavior," he added. "I've come to this land to protect you, to support you â?? not to harm you â?? and the behavior of this soldier was nothing short of wrong and unacceptable." [/color] The elaborate ceremony â?? in which one [color:red]U.S. officer kissed a new copy of Islam's holy book before giving it to the tribal leaders [/color]â?? reflected the military's eagerness to stave off anger among Sunni Arabs it has been cultivating as allies. The tribesmen have become key in the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq militants, who depict the American forces as anti-Islamic occupiers. One anti-U.S. Iraqi Sunni group condemned the Quran shooting, calling it "a hideous act." Similar perceived insults to Islam have triggered protests throughout the Muslim world. [color:blue]American commanders launched an inquiry that led to disciplinary action against the unidentified soldier, who has been removed from Iraq,[/color] U.S. military spokesman Col. Bill Buckner said. Full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 "The actions of one soldier were nothing more than criminal behavior," he added. "I've come to this land to protect you, to support you â?? not to harm you â?? and the behavior of this soldier was nothing short of wrong and unacceptable." Bullshit. I bet his buddies thought it was hilarious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueyam Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 I wonder who fired the mortar shell(s) that killed those kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 That would most likely be Al Quaida or some similar bunch of extremists not known for their accuracy. This thread is about a US sniper who used the Koran for target practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCorinthian Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Oh but they can burn bibles, the torah, and even whole jews, and no one says a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueyam Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 This thread is about a US sniper who used the Koran for target practice. I was commenting on the posted article which mentioned both the Koran incident and the mortar fire. The contrast between the two incidents and the reactions thereto (the book destruction vs. the child destruction) is striking to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueyam Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Oh but they can burn bibles, the torah, and even whole jews, and no one says a thing. In America you can put a crucifix in a jar of piss, call it art, and get a government grant and a museum exhibition for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCorinthian Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Oh but they can burn bibles' date=' the torah, and even whole jews, and no one says a thing.[/quote'] In America you can put a crucifix in a jar of piss, call it art, and get a government grant and a museum exhibition for it. Yea. Amazing thing freedom, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Way to go guys. Maybe you could start a "Jihadis Don't Care About A Few Kids' thread? You still have the Sniper Shoots Koran problem. I highly recommend the 'one rotten apple' defence, or maybe 'combat fatigue'...that usually works. Alternatively you could just wait till it drops out of the news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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