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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Encore - Boucher deals with Fallujah attrocity allegations |
| 2004-04-15 |
| QUESTION: Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into allegations that the U.S. forces have used excessive force, using -- causing undue -- and undue collective punishment on the population. Will the U.S. comply? And what is the status of Fallujah? I mean, how does -- technically, what is its status? It’s occupied? It’s hostile? It’s what? MR. BOUCHER: The second question I, frankly, don’t understand. Fallujah is a city in Iraq. It needs to be administered by the government of Iraq. It needs to be peaceful for the sake of its local population, and we and others are making efforts to bring security to the people of Fallujah; we’re making efforts to exercise -- help the government, the Iraqis exercise good government in Fallujah. And I think we’ve pointed out that much of the trouble in Fallujah, including recently, has been the result of foreign fighters and Iraqis who might be working with them and supporting them, not necessarily the general population of the area. So Fallujah is an Iraqi city which, like other cities, needs to have peace and security for the sake of the people who live there, and needs to let the people who live there run their own affairs without interference from other foreigners and without violence caused by other elements coming in. QUESTION: About on the allegations? MR. BOUCHER: On the allegations, I think I’d have to leave that to the Pentagon; that when there are allegations involving U.S. forces, obviously, we’re aware of those. Whether the specific thing with Human Rights Watch is something that needs to be looked into or not I’d leave to them. I would point out though that U.S. forces always follow very high standards of professional conduct, and when there are difficulties that arise, it’s often our own internal -- their own internal vigilance that discovers them, investigates them and rectifies them. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #5 I agree with you ruprecht. The military does use video in cases like the specops rescue of that girl soldier. In most combat situations you would have a tough time convincing me to trade a weapon for a camera, though. Certainly videoing the exhumation would be a must. Don't forget that video does lie, though, usually when al Jezeera or a Palestinian is holding the camera. It's better to count the really dead bodies so they don't get up and walk away when the director yells, "cut." |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-04-15 11:05:03 PM |
| #4 I agree to some extent the graves are designed to hide numbers, nationalities, and methods of execution. I imagine any women or children found will have been excuted with an Ak-47 round not by a marine weapon. My point is the seeds of doubt will still be out there among the conspiracy addled minds of the Islamic world and among our own LLL who think the US capable of such crap. Video evidence helps somewhat. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-04-15 7:50:34 PM |
| #3 Ruprecht, how many kids, women and old folks will we find in he graves on the two football fields? After this is over I call for them to be exhumed and for the tally to begin. I speculate that we won't even find bodies in all of the "graves." |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-04-15 1:11:02 PM |
| #2 The Jenin Massacre was some time ago, there has been time to prepare for the inevitable false claims that everyone knew would be made. There were a lot of claims of Police brutality in the US so the cops started putting cameras on their cars so they'd have evidence against false claims. Time for the military to start thinking along those lines as well since they don't want journalists in the way. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-04-15 12:06:41 PM |
| #1 It is my understanding that if one side refuses to follow the Geneva convention, the other side is no longer bound by it. Since the Fallujah gangsters were not following it, we don't have to. |
| Posted by: Ben 2004-04-15 4:49:59 AM |