US military in freefall in Iraq

The BBC has video footage of remains from an attack in Ishaqi, alleged by Iraqis to have been the site of a US massacre of civilians. They are reporting that the footage contradicts US claims that the building collapsed, killing eleven, and sides closer to the Iraqi claims that the US soldiers entered the building and summarily executed all 11 inhabitants (including three children). They note that the building is riddled with bullet holes, as are the bodies and that they seem to have died from gunshot wounds rather than being crushed by the roof.

Note that this is in addition to the 24 innocent civilians killed by Marines in Haditha in earlier reports. The Iraqi Prime Minister has accused the U.S. military of 'daily' attacks against civilians, according to the New York Times.

I've also heard of, but haven't seen, an interview in which a BBC reporter expressed surprise over Haditha to which an Iraqi said this has been happening all the time but no reporters wanted to investigate. Challenged to give specifics the Iraqi then named a string of towns and the atrocities committed there. As many have noted these recent reports may be unearthing a new 'dirty war' similar to the US attacks on Central American states in the 80's. The key features of such a war are a disregard for civilian life and the presence of 'death squads' to achieve political ends. Bush's father was Vice President and President at the time and John Negroponte was a key political player at the time and became Ambassador to Iraq from 2004-2005 and is now George W. Bush's National Intelligence Director. He was also the US Ambassador to the UN during the run-up to the Iraq invasion (2001-2004).

In any case, with two reports in the last couple of weeks of US soldiers committing atrocities in Iraq the new death squads may be becoming visible.

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