U.S. service member kills 4 fellow troops in Iraq

[charlie and algernon]

Source: MSNBC

BAGHDAD - A U.S. service member opened fire on fellow members of the military, killing four and wounding several others, at the main U.S, base in Baghdad, officials told NBC News on Monday.

NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reported the assailant took his own life after the violent outburst. The attacker was described as a "stressed out" U.S. soldier.

The military said in a statement that the shooting occurred about 2 p.m. Monday at Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30678715

[JonLP24]

1. BIAP is a heavily populated base

I've been there but mostly Camp Stryker, only went to the PX in Camp Liberty. Good god, I can't even imagine something like that happening. I'm suprised he wasn't shot, every soldier there has a weapon and a magazine.

[Cid_B]

2. Agreed....

Complacent mentality I suppose from behind the wire. Still, that'd surprise the hell out of me too.

[Statistical]

4. Element of surprise?

Our fob was so small it had no PX so we would routinely convoy to Liberty.

Likely most soldiers don't feel the need to watch their back against other soldiers.

I can only assume the reason he is still alive is because he either dropped the weapon or ran out of ammo and he was "subdued" (butt stroke to the head?).

[dgibby]

5. He's dead.

CNN just reported that he killed 4, wounded 3, then killed himself.

[happygoluckytoyou]

45. follow the link to this----------------------> ---> ---> --->

Contrary to earlier reports, the soldier did not kill himself but was overpowered and taken into U.S. custody.

[dgibby]

48. Thanks. CNN just corrected their report after I posted that.

[JonLP24]

6. That is a very good point

Like poster #2 said complacent mentality. The article said he killed himself so I assume he did it before anyone else got to him.

[Statistical]

15. Yeah I skimmed the article. Missed that he killed himself.

In hindsight it is typical for mass shooting.

I wonder why it is that mass shooter almost always kill themselves or at least try to kill themselves?

[JonLP24]

17. I don't really understand the mindset

I remember during my 2 week leave I found out my ex-wife cheated 3 days before going back to Iraq. So of course I was incredibly stressed, there were many times I nearly went into a latrine and shot myself but always convinced myself not to. The idea of a mass shooting/suicide never crossed my mind but that was just 1 deployment. I am interested in finding out how many tours this soldier in paticular done, I know people going out there for the 5th tour.

[Statistical]

18. Maybe some people are afraid to "go" on their own? I don't really understand it either.

Suicide I understand. It is horrible and painful for the family but it at least make sense.

Mass shootings/suicides just don't make sense to me.

[AlphaCentauri]

23. inflicting the most damage to others make them justify their suicide

probably they don't want to kill them selves

[ronnie624]

7. " NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reported the assailant took his own life after the violent outburst." n/t

[CherokeeDem]

3. This Has To Stop...

I know all the arguments about having to pull the troops out slowly so as not to upset the delicate balance achieved in Iraq. BS...get them out now and get these young men and women the help they need to cope with what they have gone through.

Not to mention...hold the Republican bastards accountable for the terrorist acts they committed on the military and on innocent civilians.

My heart breaks for these soldiers and their families...

[KansDem]

12. I agree...

...having to pull the troops out slowly ...

I say put every military vehicle in "R" and step on the gas. We can get out just as quickly as we got in.

Sorry, military-industrial complexers; you'll have find another living...

[JonLP24]

13. It is likely the transportation units will be the last ones there

They have to pick up everyone's supplies and bring them to Kuwaiti Naval Base. However I agree with you. Bring them back asap.

[TheWraith]

32. We can't get out as quickly as we got in.

Think about all the materiel we've been hauling in over the last 6 years. Not to mention buildings, tools, personell, other equipment...

[snowdays]

8. Suicide rates continue to rise --and now this. How horrible for the families.

[HopeHoops]

9. A stressed-out soldier in Iraq? Come on, seriously?

:sarcasm:

The one area where I feel like Obama is letting me down is Iraq. He is not moving quickly enough to get our troops out of there. I know he's been busy and am amazed by what he has accomplished so quickly, but I don't understand why he hasn't made this a higher priority. It was one of the most important things his supporters consistently mentioned in polls and interviews - bring our fine troops home - ALIVE!

[bdamomma]

10. they need to come home.

[Kali]

11. if we just had better gun control laws...

:sarcasm:

[Statistical]

14. Please. Not the time. Not the place. n/t

[Kali]

20. yeah, you are right

it's just that every time some sicko goes on one of these killing sprees, the anti-gun crowd shows up in the thread in just such a manner - usually predicting that the pro-gun people will be there momentarily. I was seeing the irony of this happening in a military situation and none had posted.

[JonLP24]

22. I know you probaly know this

But pro or anti gun crowd would be irrelevant considering the weapons are issued to virtually everyone in the armed forces. :hi:

[Kali]

30. hence the sarcasm smiley

:hi:

[Statistical]

27. I agree and immediately got the irony/sarcasm but this is 4 dead soldiers slain by one of their own.

By better than "them".

[Earth Bound Misfit]

50. Kudos for admitting, and also for your explanation for posting something in questionable taste.

:thumbsup:

[Earth Bound Misfit]

51. Hiccup.

Self-delete dupe post

[Earth Bound Misfit]

49. Agree. n/t

[Wednesdays]

19. Huh?

This is about gun control, how? :wtf:

I don't care if you're for or against gun control, but injecting that comment is in rather poor taste, IMHO.

[Kali]

21. its not about gun control

and really neither are the times it happens in with civilians. You are right it was in poor taste - see my reply above.

The cause is rooted in mental illness, not guns. Both populations - military and civilian - need better care.

[Statistical]

28. +1. Mental Health system (or lack their of is normally the root problem)

Also in this instance a failure of the chain of command.

NCO job is soldier care. Sometimes "soldier care" is taking a weapon away from a soldier.

We had a soldier (medic) who became very irrational after we arrived in Baghdad.
We watched him closely, never left him alone.

while soldiers were cleaning weapons he placed sidearm against his head. It was unloaded but something no "rational" soldier would ever do.

He spent next 6 months in the TOC. Prohibited from leaving the wire and had pistol, rifle, and ammunition taken from him.

Not sure if there were "warning signs" here but soldiers tend not to go "dress right dress" one day and shoot up the PX on day 2.

[lib2DaBone]

16. But Dick Cheney said

.. just yesterday on Face The Nation.. Dick Cheney said that the war in Iraq was a total success?

Of course if he said it on TV.. it must be true.

I think Dicky Boy hears footsteps behind him.. and the prison door clanking shut. He's spinning pretty hard.. pulling out all the stops.

[L0oniX]

24. Bring the troops home. There is no Osama. The Taliban is not Al Qaida

There's no honorable reason to be over there. It's demoralizing our troops and this is what happens.

[JonLP24]

25. MSNBC says conflicting reports whether or not he actually killed himself

They also say 5 are dead. Said it was unclear whether he killed himself or was overpowered.

[JonLP24]

26. BBC: US troops 'killed by colleague'

A US soldier has shot dead five of his colleagues at a base in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the Pentagon says.

Two other people were hurt in the shooting and an investigation has begun, a Pentagon official said.

An earlier military statement said the incident happened at Camp Liberty near Baghdad's international airport at about 1400 (1100 GMT).

"The shooter is a US soldier and he is in custody," Reuters quoted military spokesman Lt Tom Garnett as saying.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8044229.stm

Conflicting reports indeed. Information should be more clearer as time passes.

[bigworld]

29. Soldier now in custody, according to ABC

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=7555783

[progressoid]

31. CNN now saying some of the 5 may be civilians.

:shrug:

[JonLP24]

33. What's going on? Conflicting reports going every direction

:shrug:

on edit: All news sources thru google news say US soldiers are killed, now MSNBC is saying 4 were killed. Which is it 4 or 5? Conflicting reports are driving me crazy.

[Robbien]

36. The AP is trying to imply that five soldiers were killed by an insurgent attack

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hwK_CSpBxsNuVUEaDuOwmSSCiqGwD98438U80

Five U.S. soldiers were killed Monday in a shooting at an American base in Baghdad, the U.S. command said.

A brief U.S. statement said the shooting occurred about 2 p.m. at Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport but gave no further details on the attack.

The identity of the attackers, or how they got into the base was not immediately clear, and U.S. and Iraqi officials could not be reached for comment. There have been several incidents recently when gunmen dressed as Iraqi soldiers have opened fire on American troops, including an attack in the northern city of Mosul on May 2 when two soldiers and the gunman were killed.

The AP has to make up stories no matter what. Seems they can't stop themselves.

[JonLP24]

37. This isn't the time to laugh but I lol'd over that

Consensus among most major news sources is that the shooter is a US troop.

[JonLP24]

38. My memory might be off

But Liberty is deep inside BIAP. The immediate base from the MSR Tampa entrance is camp stryker. I'm not sure about the Route Irish entrance but it wouldn't make sense for an insurgent to sneak inside a base and travel on one of those mini buses to Liberty just to launch an attack. Pretty sure they would question why he has a gun.

[Robbien]

39. Which is why AP's take on the story just doesn't make sense

It puts the military in a very bad light. Which is worse PR, a soldier getting stressed out and going nuts or a high security military base allowing itself to be infiltrated by an insurgent?

Dumb AP.

[Statistical]

41. Theoretically it could be an interperter who stole a weapon.

On the FOB we walked around only w/ pistol and kept M4 and M249 in the trucks (HMMWV).

However I think the AP is wrong. Interpreters tend be screened well and many essentially are risking their lives (and lives of their family) simply by working for Americans.


So it is possible but more likely the AP just got it wrong.

[JonLP24]

42. Your unit left weapons in vehicles?

Not bashing you, just really suprised.

We were never allowed to do that, even the gun truck drivers took their mounted weapon with them.

[Statistical]

44. You going to walk through the PX with .50cal M2 too?

On the fob going to the PX we just parked the trucks together, left gear on the trucks and left a guard.

Our unit (field artillery) was re-organized as PSD company.
Each truck had .50 cal M2 & M240B that is a lot to carry to the PX.

If we are leaving heavy guns behind I saw no problem leaving the rifles behind too.

The whole inside the wire vs outside the wire mentality.
Then again we never had a soldier shoot one of his own while I was there, maybe that would change my thinking.

We routinely stopped at IP (Iraqi Police) stations durring the day.
There was no support except what be brought.

In comparison being at Liberty felt like being out of theater.
Not saying it is right. Just being honest.

[JonLP24]

46. In that scenario we would leave someone behind for weapons guard

I understand the reasoning. It was just something our superiors made us do. However we in a M915A2 truck driving company so where ever we went to we had tents and we just carried M-16s and the Gun Truck units had the big shit, they usually had a weapons guard in the tent while someone went to Pizza Hut, DFAC, whatever.

------
There was this one embarrasing situation when we were in Taji. Me and a friend took one of the bobtails and drove to the DFAC. We planned to get to-go plates so we didn't bother putting the padlock on the door and instead used the modern door locks. But any truck key can open the door on any truck. However we sat down at ate, then we walked back to the dirt parking lot and our truck was gone! We were freaking out, then after some looking around we went back to the tents. We admitted to the assistant convoy commander the truck was gone and he was like :wtf: 'How do you lose a truck? It's not like something you can fit in your pocket!' Later we found out the Convoy Commander saw the truck without padlocks and stole it too teach us a lesson. This http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/bowmanl.htm">man also lectured us mostly because the gift he bought for his anniversary was in the truck. However he died a couple weeks later before his wife recieved the gift.

[JonLP24]

47. I didn't know you left a guard

Which makes every bit a difference which was common practice for our unit as well.

on edit: I'm very sorry, I was under the impression your unit left weapons in vehicles with no one to watch them. We have done the same thing, left our weapons in vehicles with a guard. Plus we had the very same out of wire, inside the wire mentality that we were generally safe inside a base. However, CSC Scania is practicly a truck stop and mortars going over the wall are common and since it is so small it was pretty much hit or miss. Only place I didn't feel 'safe' inside a camp in Iraq.

[Statistical]

64. np. in hindsight I wasn't very clear but yes we always left a guard. n/t

[Vidar]

34. Wonder how many tours he was forced to serve.

[JonLP24]

35. Ditto...n/t

[newspeak]

40. I just called my daughter

my SIL is in Baghdad. I just found out he's at Stryker instead of Liberty. This lie of a war has been going on for over six years and there are probably a lot of soldiers at the breaking point.:(

[Seen the light]

43. Obama's timetable for pulling us "out" of Iraq really needs to be sped up

It's always been bullshit and it's sad that people don't seem to care about Iraq anymore.

[FourScore]

52. US Soldier Kills Fellow Troops In Iraq

Source: HuffingtonPost

Pentagon officials say five Americans are dead after a U.S. soldier opened fire at a U.S. base in Baghdad. They say the attacker is in custody.

The officials say the shootings happened on Camp Liberty at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or stress from personal issues.

One senior military official in Washington says it's unclear whether those killed are workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. He says officials also are unsure whether all the dead are members of the military.

***UPDATE*** ABC News reports that the U.S. soldier who attacked fellow troops on a U.S, base in Iraq has killed five of them and is now in custody. Initial reports suggested that he had turned the gun on himself after his rampage.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/11/iraq-friendly-fire-incide_n_201512.html

[classof56]

53. Oh, my God...this is too awful, I have no words.

Rest in peace, soldiers.

:cry:

[Blue_Tires]

54. CBS link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/11/iraq/main5005795.shtml?tag=topStory;topStoryHeadline

tragic...he was already high strung and snapped...

[laststeamtrain]

55. AP: US soldier guns down 5 fellow soldiers in Iraq

US soldier guns down 5 fellow soldiers in Iraq
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer Robert H. Reid, Associated Press Writer 49 mins ago

BAGHDAD – A U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a U.S. base Monday, killing five fellow soldiers before being taken into custody, the U.S. command and Pentagon officials said.

The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city's international airport and adjacent to another facility where President Barack Obama visited last month.

A brief U.S. statement said the soldier "suspected of being involved with the shooting" was in custody but gave no further details. Nobody else was hurt, the military said. It was unclear what provoked the shooting.

In Washington, Pentagon officials said the shooting happened at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or personal issues. It was unclear whether those killed were workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. No details were released about the gunman.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_iraq

[applegrove]

56. Very sad.

[uppityperson]

57. k&r, time to end the occupation, time to fund mental health care for military&vets. eom

[proteus_lives]

58. Damn, just damn.

RIP.

What happened??? PTSD?

[Sabriel]

63. Better make that TSD

There's nothing Post about it.

[KathieG]

59. Horrible.

:(

[Beaverhausen]

60. Horrible

:cry:

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Haole Girl]

62. That is so sad.

:-(