UN Slams Israel's killings of civillians - Only USA not in favour of vote.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Translation: you don't care what they think.

This is the sort of idiocy that leads to problems the US is facing around the globe.

In his defence it takes a special kind of idiot to go around brandishing automatic rifles in front of an occupying army while in a war zone. As a side point it is illegal under Iraqi law to fire your weapons except in self defense; this law was specifically passed to stop "celebritory fire". Every major holiday in this part of the world ends with lots of people being shot when the bullets fall back to earth.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

"Coalition forces on the ground recovered numerous weapons, 2 million Iraqi and Syrian dinar, foreign passports and a satcom radio," the statement said.

Hardly seems like a wedding, if this is true.

1. Numerous weapons- well, if there was shooting into the air, what the hell were they shooting with? Spitballs?

2. Money-at a wedding party...well, of course you NEVER get money at a wedding party. I am sure the registry at bloomingdales Baghdad had all the necessary gifts.

3. Foreign Passports- cause we all know, a wedding on the Iraq-Syrian border has no chance to include any foreigners- we all know Arabs never have friends or families in other coutries, and of course even if they did, these people are unlikely to have passports.

4. Satcom radio- the only one I don't have a rather obvious reason for it being there.

[Dinner]

It is difficult to make international phone calls in Iraq though sat-phones are very rare here.

[Drake Tungsten]

1. Numerous weapons- well, if there was shooting into the air, what the hell were they shooting with? Spitballs?

2. Money-at a wedding party...well, of course you NEVER get money at a wedding party. I am sure the registry at bloomingdales Baghdad had all the necessary gifts.

3. Foreign Passports- cause we all know, a wedding on the Iraq-Syrian border has no chance to include any foreigners- we all know Arabs never have friends or families in other coutries, and of course even if they did, these people are unlikely to have passports.

4. Satcom radio- the only one I don't have a rather obvious reason for it being there.

You don't find the presence of all four of these things in a remote area of the Iraq-Syria border that intelligence indicated to be a crossing point for foreign fighters to be the slightest bit suspicious? We all respect your "expertise" here on Poly, but I can't help but think you're being purposefully obtuse on this one...

[GePap]

I assume intelliegence went AFTER the attack- are you saying that people there can;'t have wedding parties?

Again, given the claim by the Iraqis, most of those things there make sense in the context of a wedding party- so I have no reason to believe either side yet.

[Gibsie]

I think the point is that all four of them are just circumstantial evidence, not proof that it certainly wasn't a wedding. Incidentally how much is 2 million dinar worth?

[Dinner]

It very well may have been a wedding party but I continue to say 1)Firing in the Air was illegal under Iraqi law 2) That it is just insane to fire automatic weapons at/near soldiers while in a war zone.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Gibsie
I think the point is that all four of them are just circumstantial evidence, not proof that it certainly wasn't a wedding. Incidentally how much is 2 million dinar worth?

There are about 1400 new Iraqi dinars per US dollar, however, the report said it was in both Iraqi and Syrian dinars. I don't know the Syrian exchange rate.

[Drake Tungsten]

I think the point is that all four of them are just circumstantial evidence, not proof that it certainly wasn't a wedding.

I never claimed that it was proof that this wasn't a wedding. Just saying that the jury is still out...

Incidentally how much is 2 million dinar worth?

I think I remember reading that the Iraqi dinars were worth around $1000 on CNN.com, but don't quote me on that. I also don't know if they took the Syrian dinars into account when obtaining that figure...

[DanS]

And a very proper one too, if it subsequently allows the US to vote on things like this resolution in accordance with the nation's conscience rather than according to the dictates of a (failed) real politick.

Americans probably would still take Israel's claims of self defense seriously. By moving from rock-throwing to hard core terrorism, the Palestinians lost much of their rhetorical legitimacy and power.

[Gibsie]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten I think I remember reading that the Iraqi dinars were worth around $1000 on CNN.com, but don't quote me on that. I also don't know if they took the Syrian dinars into account when obtaining that figure...

That would tally with Oerdin’s post. Makes it seem kinda fatuous that the article you posted referred to the 2 million dinar as if it was a major factor, doesn’t it?

The only thing that Is out of the ordinary that’s been found is the radio… the jury is indeed still out, and I sincerely doubt that a jury would convict the dead of being militia based upon the evidence.

[Dinner]

If all 2 million were Iraqi dinars then it would be worth about $1500 or just over 1.5 years worth of wages for the average Iraqi.

[Gibsie]

And? Doesn't seem like much to me given there were probably hundreds of people there.

[Drake Tungsten]

Where'd you get the idea that hundreds of people were there? It was out in the middle of nowhere.

[Drake Tungsten]

Not that any of you will care, but...

The Pentagon is considering the release of videotapes or a still photograph to bolster its contention that a target attacked Wednesday by the U.S. military in western Iraq was not a wedding party, officials said.

Sources said that a photograph of the area before it was attacked by a U.S. warplane shows several buildings that look like warehouses in a remote desert location.

According to a Pentagon official who has seen the photograph, it shows no evidence of any wedding celebration, such as the "wedding tent" mentioned by some Iraqis who told reporters they were guests.

The site was attacked by a U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship, and the Pentagon may release the video from the plane gun camera, according to the official.

The Pentagon is not disputing that a number of innocent civilians -- including children -- may have been killed in the airstrike, but officials insist there was solid intelligence that the site was being used by "foreign fighters" and was not an innocent gathering of wedding celebrants.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/21/iraq.main/index.html

The military seems pretty confident that this wasn't a wedding party...