New mass grave found in Iraq (Fresh too. From after we invaded Iraq)

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2971464.stm

Another mass grave has been discovered in Iraq at Salman Pak, just south of Baghdad, in the grounds of what used to be a sprawling military complex.

Relatives of missing people have begun excavating the site and on Saturday morning they recovered at least five bodies.

Local residents say they helped bury more than 100 bodies at the military complex in April and they believe many more may be hidden underground.

They say the victims were young men killed in early April, after the American-led invasion had begun.

One body was dressed in pyjamas, another had been blindfolded, while a third had his hands tied and had been shot in the back of the head.

more

[Systematic Chaos]

1. Now that'll win some hearts and minds!

Jesus H. F**king Christ this is so FUBAR.....


:argh:

[LARED]

2. Sounds like

the Iraqi military decided to kill off prisoners rather than let them go.

[SeattleDem]

6. if they are prisoners, how will Rummy respond?

this has been bugging me for some time.

First, the administration says Saddam is evil because he wrongly imprisoned thousands of men, mostly those who opposed to the government. Therefore, Saddam is evil, and must be overthrown.

However, now that we are knee-deep in guerilla style fighting, Rummy claims that Saddam freed all these horrible prisoners/criminals who were filling up the jail cells, and THESE evil men, the freed prisoners, are the ones killing Americans.

Which is it? Are the prisoners victims of human rights abuses or are they the awful sociopaths Rummy describes? The hypocrisy has bugged me for weeks now.

[LARED]

8. Did Rummy really claim that?

I have started to tune him out, so maybe I just missed it. Did I?

[SeattleDem]

12. yup, I don't remember where

I've seen him say it on TV a few times, that the country is crawling with criminals that Saddam released from prison to wreck havoc in the streets, and I just turned to my husband and said "wait, I thought the prisoners were GOOD guys (ie, wrongfully imprisoned) before the war started....."

[Barrett808]

10. Or deserters n/t

n/t

[ewagner]

3. Did I get this right?

The "100 or so" bodies were buried after the invasion started (in April) but they were killed by Saddam loyalists?

[NNN0LHI]

4. Our soldiers secured Baghdad's international airport April 4th

This mass grave is south of Baghdad.

Don

[ewagner]

5. Okay,,,,soooooo...

We bypassed this base to take the airport and the remaining Iraqi military slaughtered the prisoners?

[htuttle]

7. So it was in 'U.S. controlled' territory?

Anybody hear what type of bullets they were shot with? (not likely to hear this from Centcom, I suppose). It should be a fairly easy matter for a forensics person to determine this.

I DO remember hearing that they didn't have any way to do deal with prisoners as they were making the big march to Baghdad. Actually, they said this in Afghanistan too, IIRC, and we know what happened there (something to do with shipping containers...).

Just curious -- not making any assumptions (either way) yet.

[ewagner]

9. that's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of.........

eom

[walkon]

11. Search for Salman Pak

Google search shows that stories about this site started in early June. Apparently searches of the site reveal "new graves" periodically. Most reports implicate Iraq in the killings - deserters and prisoners - and date the killings to early April of this year.

[CWebster]

13. We can't have no internantional war crimes tribunals!

Why, why, why, they might try American soldiers!

For the love of god, what a fucking disgrace!

[CWebster]

14. Dated April 7

"US forces have also destroyed what they called a terrorist training camp at Salman Pak, to the south-east of the capital. Gen Brooks said captured fighters from Sudan and Egypt had given information ontraining they had received at Salman Pak.Salman Pak is long suspected to have been a chemical and biological weapons installation."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,931197,00.html