NOV 27, 2003
A View From The Ground
The bad guys in Iraq
Frightened US troops are harming civilians, fuelling anti-American sentiments in Iraq, says report
LONDON - Iraqi families have come forward with accounts of how American soldiers shot dead or seriously wounded unarmed Iraqi civilians with no apparent cause.
A report by the Guardian newspaper uncovers a vicious dynamic that is undermining the American occupation in Iraq: apparently unjustified harm done to Iraqi civilians by 'scared' US soldiers have led to growing opposition against them.
In many cases, the claims, which numbered over 10,000, were confirmed by Iraqi police investigations, the newspaper reported.
The US military has had to pay out US$1.5 million (S$2.6 million) in negligence and wrongful death claims.
American commanders make payments from their discretionary funds, rarely even admitting liability, the newspaper added.
In most cases, the payments averaged a few hundred dollars and in some cases, families have been asked to sign forms waiving their right to press for further compensation.
In a brief statement to the Guardian, the US military provided no figures on the number of claims accepted.
'The US pays claims for personal injury, wrongful death and property damage,' it said.
'Payments will only be made for non-combat related activities and instances where soldiers have acted negligently or wrongfully.'
In one area of south-western Baghdad, controlled by the 82nd Airborne Division, an officer said a total of US$106,000 had been paid out to 176 claimants since July.
Beyond the initial payments, there was little recourse for the families of the dead.
No US soldier has been prosecuted for illegally killing an Iraqi civilian and commanders refuse to count the number of civilians killed or injured by their soldiers.
Iraqi courts, because of an order issued by the US-led authority in Baghdad in June, are forbidden from hearing cases against American soldiers or any other foreign troops or foreign officials in Iraq.
In three separate cases, families have described how their relatives had been killed apparently without cause by US soldiers manning observation posts or patrolling through the streets of Baghdad.
In one case, a couple were killed in front of their three young daughters when an Abrams tank ran over and crushed their car.
The number of civilian deaths caused by the US since the war remains largely uncounted.
In a report last month, Human Rights Watch said it believed 94 civilians were killed in 'questionable circumstances' by American troops between May and Sept 30.
The independent non-governmental organisation concluded that US troops were operating 'with impunity'.
'The individual cases of civilian deaths... reveal a pattern by US forces of over-aggressive tactics, indiscriminate shooting in residential areas and a quick reliance on lethal force,' it said.
'The lack of timely and thorough investigations into many questionable incidents has created an atmosphere of impunity, in which many soldiers feel they can pull the trigger without coming under review.'
For the families of the dead, the killings and the lack of legal recourse have provoked a groundswell of opposition to the US military occupation.
In some cases, relatives have spoken of their plans to join the growing guerilla resistance movement to avenge the deaths of their relatives.
'I know the American soldiers are not inhumane because I saw them when they first came and they behaved well. But now they have changed and I don't know why,' said Faiz Alwasity, who works for Civic, the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, one of the few groups that had helped secure payments for victims of the US military operations in Afghanistan and now Iraq.
'They are becoming more aggressive, maybe because they are frightened. I am afraid this is creating more resistance against them.'
straitstimes.asia1.com.sg |
