Dahr Jamail reports a completely different story on the Iraqi soldier killing US soldiers

[Robbien]

On Dec. 26, an Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S. soldiers accompanying him during a joint military patrol in the northern Iraqi city Mosul. He killed the U.S. captain and another sergeant, and wounded three others, including an Iraqi interpreter.

Conflicting versions of the killing have arisen. Col. Hazim al-Juboory, uncle of the attacker Kaissar Saady al-Juboory, told IPS that his nephew at first watched the U.S. soldiers beat up an Iraqi woman. When he asked them to stop, they refused, so he opened fire.

"Kaissar is a professional soldier who revolted against the Americans when they dragged a woman by her hair in a brutal way," Col. Juboory said. "He is a tribal man, and an Arab with honour who would not accept such behaviour. He killed his captain and sergeant knowing that he would be executed."

Others gave IPS a similar account. "I was there when the American captain and his soldiers raided a neighbourhood and started shouting at women to tell them where some men they wanted were," a resident of Mosul, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS on phone. "The women told them they did not know, and their men did not do anything wrong, and started crying in fear."

The witness said the U.S. captain began to shout at his soldiers and the women, and his men then started to grab the women and pull them by their hair.

. . .

The story was first reported on al-Rafidain satellite channel. That started Iraqis from all over the country talking about "the hero" who sacrificed his life for Iraqi honour.

The U.S. and Iraqi military told a different version of the story.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40691

There are several articles in the ME press also reporting this version of the story.

[babylonsister]

1. And here's a report from FDL: the woman was pregnant and the soldiers

were sexually assaulting her?

http://alternet.org/blogs/peek/72895/

[Robbien]

2. Even that story says Iraqis don't believe

the sexual attack version.

But many in Iraq believe the story about the US using force against the pregnant woman. All the late night busting into Iraqi homes on their al-qaeda searches tend to support Iraqis bad feelings toward the US troops.

[Dhalgren]

3. This is why "support the troops" is a complicated statement.

I cannot, in good conscience and without equivocation, "support the troops". I do not know which version of this story is the true one, but admitting that I do not know, speaks volumes. No one can doubt that the Iraqi version might be the true one and in all likelihood is closer to the truth as it fits the known facts better. No...I cannot "support the troops" without huge and glaring caveates...

[Robbien]

4. Nicely said

Since occupation is never a good thing I also have some major qualms also with the Support The Troops meme.