You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Iraq-Jordan
U.S. troops may have killed Canadian in Iraq: reports
2005-04-27
Foreign Affairs is investigating whether U.S. troops killed a Canadian on the weekend in Iraq.
Something tells me this wasn't a fresh-faced tourist with a maple leaf sewn onto his backpack...
A Foreign Affairs spokeswoman confirmed to the CBC on Tuesday that a Canadian, whom she did not identify, died on Saturday. A source told Broadcast News that Ali Alwan may have died after U.S. forces "tracked" a target, using a helicopter gunship. The source, who did not want to be identified, said the family asked the Canadian government to look into the circumstances of his death. Dan McTeague, the parliamentary secretary responsible for Canadians abroad, told the Canadian Press that the government is still trying to sort through conflicting reports of how the man was killed. The matter is being handled by Canadian officials at the consulate in Amman, Jordan.
Posted by:seafarious

#11  hee hee John! You're a natural. Find the linker thing.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-04-27 7:24:45 PM  

#10  "We don't need no bulletproof vest. We got a maple leaf!"

That's what happens when you have no hockey. They start to wander.
Posted by: john   2005-04-27 1:09:24 PM  

#9  Dammit, we keep TELLING you, sew a Canadian flag on your backpack and have it prominently displayed at all times ! Otherwise, crap like this happens.
Posted by: Carl in N.H.   2005-04-27 11:47:43 AM  

#8  Oh great, now the Canadians will pull their troops out... Damn quagmire.
Posted by: Capsu78   2005-04-27 11:30:24 AM  

#7  More details, facts are lacking:
Conflicting details are emerging as Foreign Affairs investigates whether a Canadian in Iraq was killed by American forces. Despite a statement from Foreign Affairs saying that an unidentified Canadian died Saturday, the U.S. Defence Department had a conflicting report.
Capt. Patricia Brewer told the Toronto Star's Washington bureau that "no civilians" were shot by American forces in Iraq on Saturday. "There does not appear to be any U.S. involvement in this individual's death." She said the U.S. military had no information on the reported death. "There needs to be more research done on this at this point," she said. "The dates may need to be clarified or where in the country this happened because right now there are a lot of holes in the information we have been given."

On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Cloe Rodrigue said the unidentified Canadian died Saturday. Rodrigue added that the department is investigating the incident through its consular offices in Amman, Jordan. She would not confirm the circumstances. The Canadian Press reports that, according to a senior government source, there are reports that the U.S. military may have been involved.
The source said a man named Ali Alwan may have died after U.S. forces "tracked" a target using a helicopter gunship. "The family wants the government to investigate," the source told The Canadian Press. "They believe it was an attack by coalition forces."
The Star reported Wednesday that a Dr. Ali Alwan was listed as the director of Basra's Port Hospital in 2003 by the United Nations.
A Liberal MP responsible for Canadians abroad said the government is still investigating at this stage. "There are a number of conflicting reports as to how the individual was killed," said Dan McTeague, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "At this stage, we don't have details as to how he was killed. We are looking at all aspects of this case to arrive at some conclusion. ... We only have anecdotal information," he told The Canadian Press.
Posted by: Steve   2005-04-27 10:19:52 AM  

#6  Okay, there's a chance this guy was a contractor or translator.

Maybe not a big chance, but .... needs an investigation.
Posted by: too true   2005-04-27 8:51:03 AM  

#5  how about billing his family for the ammo used, dammit
Posted by: Frank G   2005-04-27 8:06:54 AM  

#4  Yea with a name like that you can be assured he was from an early Hudsons Bay fur trading family stock.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-04-27 4:10:42 AM  

#3  Oops. Make that "had" - past tense. Sorry.
Posted by: .com   2005-04-27 1:28:51 AM  

#2  Ali Alwan. Yep, got maple syrup flowing in his Canuck veins. Yewbetcha.
Posted by: .com   2005-04-27 1:28:01 AM  

#1  It's a pretty sure thing he was a "bad guy" if he is dead. If Canadians get all bent out of shape TFB. Who in their right mind goes to Iraq currently to play tourist? If he didn't have a job there he shouldn't have been there. If he got killed there then he was likely up to no good there. Maybe if they had sent some troups and supported a just war he might still be alive and in Canada making plots to blow up some government building.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-04-27 12:10:41 AM  

00:00