Iraq insurgents likely snatched body of downed US pilot

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD (AFP) - It took US forces several hours to reach the crash site of a fighter jet that went down in Iraq during which time insurgents may well have taken the body, according to a US military official.

The F-16 fighter plane crashed in Anbar province northwest of Baghdad on Monday while supporting ground troops. When US forces arrived at the site after clashing with rebels, the pilot's body was not in the wreckage.

"It was several hours before we got ground forces there," said the official, who declined to be identified. "The assumption is he crashed, he died immediately and then someone had gotten there and taken the body."

When ground forces arrived, they found the ejection seat, which appeared not to have been fired, and took DNA samples. An investigation is currently underway into the cause of the crash.

At the time of the incident, the US air force said that insurgents were seen at the site.

"Fighter aircraft were overhead when the crash occurred and confirmed that insurgents were in the vicinity of the crash site immediately following the crash," said a statement.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061128/wl_mideast_afp/iraqusunrestcrash

[DavidDvorkin]

1. That's disgusting

Especially if he was mangled in the crash.

Of course, lots of horrifying stuff is happening in Iraq all the time, and this is just one more item. But my visceral reaction is that carrying off mangled bodies for some sort of propaganda use is particularly disgusting.

[Nickster]

3. You never know, depending on how bad the crash was, maybe he wasn't dead

after the initial impact.

[DavidDvorkin]

4. Good point

[Dhalgren]

2. I don't believe anything that comes out of the Pentagon (or its

ratpack) without outside verification. Snatching a dead body out of an airplane crash doesn't even move the needle on my "disgustometer" anymore....

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Al Jazeera claims they've got footage of the body.

At least that's what somebody mentioned here yesterday.