If i were an Iraqi at a wedding...

chewy

i wouldn't shoot my gun into the air in celebration

now todays event was antoher example of shoot first think later by the us soldier in the helicopter but still ya think you refrain from shooting into the air in a war zone ???

Nuttzz

US forces have fired on a wedding party in Iraq killing more than forty people. Iraqi officials have said the dead include 15 children and ten women. Locals have said the civilians celebrated the wedding by firing into the air, and Americans mistook the traditional salute for hostile fire. The attack happened near the border with Syria and Jordan

traditional? What did they do before they had guns? Why bring weapons to a wedding? expecting some limerick people no doubt........

sceptre

The US really don't have much luck with Muslin weddings do they.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/07/01/afghanistan.bombing/

I've no idea why people over to the dramatic east of us like to shoot into the air at weddings but someone should really tell the soldiers.

tall_freak

traditionally in arabic weddings... especially in iraq but more common in eygpt... people would weild symbols of power during a wedding

in the old times it used to be the sword...

for the past 100 years or so its been the rifle

its more of a cultural thing than a religious thing

the best way to understand is to be in one of these weddings and be in the atmosphere...

unfortunately this has happened before in afganistan... i for one dont see why people should change thier tradition just cause the states wants it to... its the states that should adapt itself to the country its in... not the country to the states!!

chewy

i see where your coming from but just cos i think there should be less cars on the road i still won't walk out right in front of a car and expect it to stop

i realy don't see this falling into culture is more important then one life type thing jsut take your sword out for the time being till the us gets the f*** out

BlitzKrieg

is it really only arabic...I've seen it happen in weddings over here in ireland and america (and not just on tv) it might be less but its not too surprising...I swear its as if they close their eyes when shooting.


reminds me of the event with the British tornado. the friend or foe detection is not working so they fire at it. They dont look at it or try and contact it just open fire...hmm i assumed all the iraqi fighter jets were destroyed or captured in the war...(I know it happened in kuwait but i cant think of any other excuse for what it could have been)

AmenToThat

Originally posted by chewy
i wouldn't shoot my gun into the air in celebration

now todays event was antoher example of shoot first think later by the us soldier in the helicopter but still ya think you refrain from shooting into the air in a war zone ???

Nope you would think that the us and britain wouldnt go invading other peoples countries.
Whether we like it or not its an arab county and in arab countries they fire into the air at weddings and indeed at funerals as well I believe why should they have to be the ones to change or is it only americans that should have the right to have arms?

Btw Im not pro gun just pointing out thats whats good for the goose should be good for the gander.

halkar

It is a big tradition in Middle East to shoot guns to air in weddings, what is stupid is the US didn't learn this after being in the country over a year. Another mistake but 40 people dead and probably coalition gained 1000 more people hate them.
And chewy, tradition is tradition even if you are invaded it is not something that can be given up quickly unless you are forced and I don't think US can expect Iraqis to have their weddings like it suits them. Bottom line is US should have known better. US

freetoair

Could you imagine if the British army in Northern Ireland had reacted to every report of gunfire by obliterating the village it was reported from. Jeez, I can't believe the Americans lost all perspective on this and flattened an entire community, 15 children dead, 10 women. There are supposed to be rules of engagement in war in order to protect innocent civilians, looks like the Americans have copied the tactics of their Israeli allies on this one and used a sledgehammer to drive a nail.

So to answer the question, what would I do if I were at an Iraqi wedding...I'd invite as many representatives of the international community as possible and in the wedding speech beg them to get some backbone and stand up to this disgraceful agressor before an all out holy war is started between the west and the muslim states. The word diplomacy has disappeared from the American vocabulary.

ambasite

Originally posted by Nuttzz
expecting some limerick people no doubt........

<no personal abuse - read the rules please>

Swain

Originally posted by ambasite
****.

<no personal abuse - read the rules please>

hallelujajordan

Assuming you believe that the US 'thought' they were fired upon . . . Eyewitnesses are telling a very different story . . It appears that the wedding had finished before midnight and the US incursion started at 3am . . .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1221658,00.html

. . . It appears that the US chain of command made a conscious anf informed decision to 'neutralise' this village and in doing so killed 42 people (including 11 women and 14 children)

. . . it appears to look very like an Israeli type of response . . the US must defend these kind of activitied and show concrete evidence that they were based on solid military objectives and proper rules of engagement . .