U.S. Snipers Accused of 'Baiting' Iraqis

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
2. Im glad you know exactly how to stop folks trying to commit mass murder against their fellow Iraqis withouth using standard sniper tactics. Please let me know when Germany is going to send a division there to help accomplish that.

I'd rather their troops actually get off their asses in Afghanistan, first

[Sirotnikov]

Kuci, I love you.
To me you're an autoplaying video.

[Kuciwalker]

YOU ARE A BAD PERSON.

Auto-playing videos

[Shrapnel12]

I think this is a miscarriage of justice. The fact that a innocent civilian was criminally murdered does not seem to be in dispute, just whether the man charged is guilty or not. "Just following orders" is not an excuse. Every soldier has a duty to disobey an unlawful order which this clearly was. You are taught that in basic training. I hope that at least the person that gave the orders is found guilty.

[Sirotnikov]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon

Army sniper acquitted of murder in Iraq
BAGHDAD - A military panel acquitted U.S. Army Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval of two counts of murder Friday, apparently swayed by testimony from fellow Army snipers that two Iraqi men were killed on orders from a higher ranking soldier.

Sandoval was convicted of a less serious charge of planting detonation wire on one of the bodies to make it look like the victim was an insurgent. As a result, he still could face five years in prison. The seven-member jury deliberated less than two hours in clearing him of all but one charge.
[...]
The suspect, who wore dark clothing and used a sickle to cut grass in a field, matched the general description Iraqi soldiers had given the Americans of one of two insurgents they had faced earlier in the day, according to testimony.
[...]
"After he (the Iraqi man) was shot, Hensley pulled an AK-47 out of his rucksack and said, 'this is what we are going to say happened,'" said Vela, who testified on Thursday under a deal that bars his account of events from being used against him when he goes to trial.
[...]

link

As I suspected, this entire ordeal has absolutely nothing to do with the baiting tactic.

The victim was not killed for his actions but because the soldiers decided that hearsay is good enough to act on, without a single spec of evidence to support this in the Iraqi's behavior.

It has everything to do with a plain case of poor decision making, that should indeed land people in jail.

Planting evidence post factum is a big no-no and in no way similar to baiting.

I continue to suspect that the entire "baiting" thing was brought up as a sneaky lawyer defense tactic, allowing one to claim that "the lines were blurred".

well this is bull****. nothing was blurred in this case. the iraqi has done absolutely nothing suspicious to justify violent action of any kind.

[Aeson]

The suspect, who wore dark clothing and used a sickle to cut grass in a field, matched the general description Iraqi soldiers had given the Americans of one of two insurgents they had faced earlier in the day, according to testimony.

I think a scythe is classified as a weapon of grass destruction...

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by Sirotnikov

i think that wherever americans can achieve increased stability and security, they will be liked.

But they haven't.

Under Saddam, people had stability and security, as long as they played along. Now they can get randomly killed by anyone - guerillas, terrorists or occupation troops. So there is no way to play safe. They can be killed on the streets by anything, or in their houses by astray bullets, or American air strikes based on crappy intel (which happens all the time).

But Bush said the Iraqi people can now enjoy freedom - the freedom to get randomly killed in their homes or on the streets. Congratulations!

[Xorbon]

Sounds like that Hensley guy may be a bit of a psychopath.

[Xorbon]

Originally posted by Aeson
I think a scythe is classified as a weapon of grass destruction...

*groan*

I think you meant sickle...

They should have planted a hammer on him and claimed he was a 'commie'.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Aeson


I think a scythe is classified as a weapon of grass destruction...

Sounds like a very serious threat.
Are there already informations wether there are more WGDs hidden in Iraq?

[Wezil]

Powell has pictures of them.

[Aeson]

Originally posted by Xorbon
I think you meant sickle...

At first I was more concerned with the scythes, as they have those long handles and thus have much longer range... but now that I've researched more, I think I've uncovered a conspiracy here!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT-2PM_Topol

The RT-2PM Topol (Russian: РТ-2ПМ) is a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile designed in the Soviet Union and in service with Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces. It was assigned the NATO reporting name Sickle (DIA-Code:SS-25) and carries the GRAU designation 15Ж58 ("15Zh58").

Sickle ICBMs! From Russia!

[Sirotnikov]

Originally posted by Chemical Ollie
But they haven't.

Under Saddam, people had stability and security, as long as they played along. Now they can get randomly killed by anyone - guerillas, terrorists or occupation troops. So there is no way to play safe. They can be killed on the streets by anything, or in their houses by astray bullets, or American air strikes based on crappy intel (which happens all the time).

But Bush said the Iraqi people can now enjoy freedom - the freedom to get randomly killed in their homes or on the streets. Congratulations!

Think of it as balancing freedom and security on two different scales.

Before freedom was really bad and security good. So people were suffering quietly.

Now freedom is good but security really bad. So people are also suffering, but they are quite loud about it (new freedom is teh roxorz).

Security is slowly improving in many areas, and I think the Iraqis there are slowly growing content.