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Soldiers kill 13 at rally { April 29 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53306-2003Apr29.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53306-2003Apr29.html
U.S. Soldiers Kill 13 at Iraq Protest Rally, Hospital Reports
Central Command Says Soldiers Were Fired On First
By Niko Price
Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, April 29, 2003; 12:22 PM
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. soldiers opened fire on Iraqis at a nighttime demonstration against the American presence here after people shot at them with automatic rifles, soldiers said Tuesday. The director of the local hospital said 13 people were killed and 75 injured.
The demonstrators insisted they were unarmed.
The shooting took place about 10:30 p.m. Monday in the town of Fallujah, roughly 30 miles west of Baghdad. The predominantly Sunni Muslim area provided strong support for Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.
Col. Arnold Bray of the 82nd Airborne Division said at least seven Iraqis were hit by gunfire, but he could not confirm the reported deaths. The 82nd Airborne has one battalion spread out around Fallujah, and a company of 150 was inside a school that serves as its headquarters when the incident took place, soldiers said.
"There was fire directly over the heads of soldiers on the roof (of the school). They returned fire in order to protect the lives of our soldiers," said Lt. Col. Eric Nantz.
Dr. Ahmed Ghanim al-Ali, director of Fallujah General Hospital, said there were 13 dead, including three boys no older than 10. He said his medical crews were shot at when they went to retrieve the injured, which he said numbered 75 people.
The crowd of about 200 demonstrators reportedly was objecting to the presence in Fallujah of troops from the 82nd Airborne's 1st Battalion, 325 Regiment. Some townspeople, however, said the protest was held by students aged 5 to 20 to ask the soldiers to leave the school where they were staying so classes could resume Tuesday as scheduled.
Soldiers at the scene said many in the crowd had AK-47 assault rifles and were firing into the air - a common practice at boisterous events.
"We saw three guys on the roof firing into the (school) building," said Sgt. Nkosi Campbell, pointing at the house across the street from the school. "Everybody could see the muzzle flashes."
He said his men were worried about the rules of engagement - whether they should open fire.
"They turned around and said, 'Hey, Sergeant, can we shoot?"' Campbell said. "That was when they were already receiving fire."
Bray said there were infiltrators in the crowd, including some who were armed and on nearby rooftops. "Which kind of schoolboys carry AK-47s?" Bray asked.
But Iraqis interviewed at the hospital insisted it was a peaceful demonstration and that no one was armed or throwing rocks. One wounded 18-year-old man, Aqil Khaleil, said U.S. soldiers opened fire with no warning.
"They waited until we came very close, and then they started shooting," he said.
Residents said the shooting continued for at least 30 minutes. Edtesam Shamsudeim, 37, who lives nearby, said her 45-year-old brother died in the gunfire. She was shot in the leg; her husband was wounded.
"We were sitting in our house. When the shooting started, my husband tried to close the door to keep the children in, and he was shot," she said at the hospital, sitting in a chair with a bandaged leg, surrounded by some of her children. Their clothes were stained with bloody handprints.
"Americans are criminals," she said.
In Qatar, the U.S. Central Command said the U.S. soldiers "came under fire from Iraqis armed with AK-47s. The unit exercised its inherent right to self defense and returned fire." Central Command said it had no confirmed reports of casualties.
"Incidents directed against coalition forces are evidence that despite the significant decrease in active military operations, dangers are still evident. Coalition forces will continue to use the appropriate amount of force to defend themselves against such threats," the command said.
The unusual nighttime demonstration sprung from evening prayers held earlier, residents said.
The demonstration Monday was the first organized protest against the Americans in Fallujah, although one soldier was slightly injured recently when a flare was fired toward some troops, according to Nantz.
Residents say they had been growing increasingly disturbed by the presence of U.S. forces.
Some in the conservative town were upset that American soldiers were using night-vision goggles and could see into courtyards and onto rooftops, where women often sleep outside in the hot weather, according to one resident, Basheer Abdul Aziz.
U.S. forces serving in the area said they have been trained extensively in crowd control. About half of the company involved at the school served in Kosovo, 2nd Lt. Devin Woods said.
Outside the school Tuesday afternoon, people chanted for U.S. forces to leave Iraq. "Go, go USA!" they shouted in Arabic, adding some English at the end: "Go away!"
© 2003 The Associated Press
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