posted April 01, 2003 11:21 AM              

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BBC News " Apology for 'friendly fire' deaths"

America's most senior military official has apologised for "friendly fire" incidents which killed three British soldiers.

General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the BBC he would make it his "quest" to ensure it did not happen again.

But the commander of British armed forces in the last Gulf War says too many troops had died in such incidents this time.

Five British servicemen are believed to have been victims of "blue on blue" incidents since the war on Iraq began a week ago.

British 'friendly fire' deaths
Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull
Corporal Stephen John Allbutt
Trooper David Jeffrey Clarke
Flight Lt Kevin Main
Flight Lt Dave Williams

Two RAF pilots were killed last Sunday when their GR4 Tornado was shot down by an American Patriot missile near the Kuwaiti border.
On Friday Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull died when a US A-10 tankbuster aircraft fired on two armoured vehicles.

And in a third incident, two British soldiers - Corporal Stephen John Allbutt, 35, and 19-year-old Trooper David Jeffrey Clarke - were killed last Tuesday when their Challenger II tank was mistakenly fired upon by British comrades in another tank.

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BBC News "Tributes to war correspondent"

Tributes have continued to be made to veteran ITN reporter Terry Lloyd who has been killed in Iraq by 'friendly fire' from Allied forces.
Mr Lloyd, 50, was last seen being shot at in southern Iraq on the approach to the city of Basra.

A statement from ITN said: "We believe his body to be in Basra hospital which is still under Iraqi control."

Mr Lloyd - whose family are originally from Wales - was the station's longest-serving reporter and the first to be killed on assignment in ITN's 48-year history.

ITN said the fate of the other two men missing from his crew was unknown.

ITN chief executive Stewart Purvis said it was now understood Iraqi ambulances had taken the injured men away.

"We've been trying to get through to Basra hospital. There is now sufficient evidence to believe that Terry was probably dead at arrival."

He said it was most likely that fire from US Marines had caused the fatality.

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The New York Times "Army Says U.S. Troops Killed 7 Iraqi Women and Children
By BERNARD WEINRAUB"


CORPS HEADQUARTERS, in northern Kuwait, March 31 - The United States Army announced tonight that seven women and children were killed this afternoon by American soldiers after a vehicle in which they were riding failed to stop when troops from the Third Infantry Division waved them down and fired warning shots.

The Army said an investigation of the incident was under way. Two other Iraqis were reported wounded in the incident, which happened near the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, the same city where a suicide car bomber killed four soldiers of the Third Infantry at a checkpoint on Saturday.

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This is the reality of war...and as I said on another thread, there's no such a thing as "accurately surgical attack"...

Love
Jakie

posted April 01, 2003 11:31 AM              

http://commondreams.org/views03/0331-11.htm

For events to arise in the life of a woman that she should ever so much as have the opportunity to contemplate writing a story so grim, yet which rings in her spirit with a conviction to just quickly get it out of her system, to busily wash her hands and herself of something with such obsession and twist in imagery and logic set to her pen...

well, 'tis a sad day.

posted April 01, 2003 12:00 PM              

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...because the blood remains forever on the hands.

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Jakie

"Of course God will forgive me; that's His job."