Coming on the heels of the Haditha Massacre, this story just tore my heart out. It’s one of those stories that I was about to post in the News Bucket, but had too much to say about it and decided to post a diary instead.
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The shooting death of a pregnant Iraqi, apparently by U.S. troops, as she was rushing to a hospital threw an intense spotlight Wednesday on the troubling issue of Iraqi civilian deaths.
Iraqi police and witnesses said the troops gunned down the woman and her cousin in their car. The U.S. military said the car entered a clearly marked prohibited area but failed to stop despite repeated signals; shots were fired to disable the vehicle, it said.
The 35 yr old pregnant woman was being rushed to the hospital by her brother; also in the car was their cousin, a 57 yr old woman. The road had been recently blocked by American troops, but apparently the word had not gotten out to outlying areas. As they rushed to hospital so Nabiha Nisaif Jassim could give birth, they inadvertantly drove on the forbidden road.
The Americans said that they fired warning shots to no avail before peppering the car with the bullets that killed both women, and Nabiha’a unborn baby. Now, I’ve never been in a car racing to the hospital with a pregnant woman, but I imaging that it could be a bit tense and chaotic. No wonder they didn’t notice the American troops.
“May God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here,” Jassim’s brother told the AP. “People are shocked and fed up with the Americans. People in Samarra are very angry with the Americans not only because of Haditha case but because the Americans kill people randomly, especially recently.”
More and more Iraqis are under the opinion that Americans don’t value Iraqi lives. It’s a refrain that I’ve read and heard over and over lately. This article goes on to give statistics on Iraqi civilian deaths and it isn’t pretty. The claims of retribution whenever an American life is lost are rampant.
“Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi told the BBC that the allegations have “created a feeling of great shock and sadness and I believe that if what is alleged is true — and I have no reason to believe it’s not — then I think something very drastic has to be done.”
“There must be a level of discipline imposed on the American troops and change of mentality which seems to think that Iraqi lives are expendable,” said Pachachi, a member of parliament.” link
In response to the Haditha massacre the US military is going to give mandatory ethics and cultural training to every troop serving in Iraq:
May 31, 2006 — Members of the U.S. military in Iraq will receive core values training beginning Thursday, as a result of the incident in Haditha in which American troops allegedly murdered 24 Iraqi civilians.
The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, will announce the new directive Thursday, assigning the training to all 130,000 U.S. troops over the next 30 days.
All service members will view a slide presentation with vignettes that highlight the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards on the battlefield.
The directive emphasizes professional military values, the importance of disciplined professional conduct in combat and an explanation of what to expect of Iraqi culture.
This must mean that up until now, no cultural training has been received. Lack of cultural understanding is often blamed for the number of incidents involving civilians.
Will this training add more stress to an already stressed out fighting force? Kilo Company, the Marines responsible for Haditha, are on their third tour of duty in Iraq and obviously under tremendous stress. I suppose it’s better to have the training; better late than never.
The Silver Lining
One thing I see happening as a result of so much tragedy is discussion. I turned on CNN this morning to the middle of a deep discussion on battle stress and PTSD. It is healthy to carry on a national discussion of these horrible deaths and question not only why it is happening, but how we can help troubled soldiers after they come home. Perhaps it will lead to discussion on how the Bush admin is cutting money and services and increasing fees for veterans seeking help and treatment.
My heart was torn when I read the story of Nabiha Nisaif Jassim and her poor baby. That baby was about to come into the world and was cruelly slaughtered along with it’s mother. The expectant father, waiting anxiously at the hospital only to have her arrive bloody and dead, along with their unborn child. No wonder Iraqis believe that Americans don’t value any lives but their own.