Almost every day for the past ten days the US Military has killed innocent Iraqi civilians. It's not the troops fault that this happens. Our troops are ordered to face off against armed Iraqis that do not want us there. Bullets and bombs don't always go where they're supposed to and sometimes people simply make mistakes. That is why, and how, this happens. Our brightest military leaders know this, yet they too must follow orders from their Commander-in-Chief.
General David Petraeus recently told Newsweek, "You can't kill your way out of an insurgency." He's right, but I would add that you can't "Stay" your way out of one either. You can only stay and kill, or bring your forces home.
Most Americans now agree that starting the Iraq war was a mistake, but we are still waging war there. How many more Iraqi civilians must be killed before we finally agree to bring our forces home from Iraq? That is a difficult question to ask ourselves, but it is the very root of the issue and after five long and costly years we must face it head on. To ignore it any longer is simply irresponsible.
So, with this letter, I want to ask you to think about it. Ask your Pastor about it. Think about what Jesus has tried to teach us, and seek the truth. (Matthew 5:9)
Part of the truth requires that we must review some grim facts. I did some research and found the most reliable and respected source for data on how many, when, where, and how, innocent Iraqi civilians are being killed by US forces.
This list below encompasses only "Non-combatants" killed in Iraq by the US military in the last ten days. They were not "Terrorists", or "Radicals", or "Insurgents" and they were not fighting when they were killed. They were killed by mistake. The list covers only ten days of March 2008.
Friday 28 March:
Baghdad: US air strike kills 5.
Tuz Khurmato: US shelling kills 2.
Thursday 27 March:
Baghdad: US air strike kills 4.Wednesday 26 March:
Tikrit: 7 (a judge, 3 women and 3 children) die in US raid.
Monday 24 March:
Buhriz: Awakening member killed by US fire at checkpoint.
Sunday 23 March:
Nahar Sabah: 15 (most from the same family) die in US air strike.
Saturday 22 March:
Buhriz: 1 killed in US air strike.
Thursday 20 March:
Samarra: 6 killed by US fire.
Wednesday 19 March:
Hawija: 3 policemen killed by US forces.
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Sources :
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/recent/
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/recent/1/
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Here are a few facts you should consider as well:
The Mahdi Army is an all volunteer militia fighting the US occupation. They are not called "Terrorists". The Bush administration often calls them "Insurgents".
Our own "Minutemen" were elected from within the ranks of local volunteer militias. The Minutemen were called "Insurgents" too, by the British.
Hundreds of Mahdi Army volunteers (insurgents) have also been killed in the past few days. They gave their lives to end the US occupation of their home land.
As true American Patriots we cannot deny that our nation was born from an insurgency against a foreign occupier. We should also agree that as children of that great insurgency led by our forefathers we should never, as a nation of free citizens that truly believe in liberty, allow our government to use our military to occupy any foreign nation.
Sadamm is dead. There are no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. It is time we demand an end to our participation in the violence there. Iraqis may indeed continue to kill each other when we leave. Time will tell, but this does not provide the moral reason to order our brave troops to confront and kill them too or die fulfilling that order.
Over 4000 US troops have now been killed in the Iraq war. On the day that grim milestone was noted a brave young man from Festus Missouri was killed in action near Bagdad, Iraq by an IED. His name was Andrew J. Habsieger. He was born Nov. 25, 1985. We can honor this young man best by remembering him.
As Americans, we should also always remember that ultimely our Commanders-in-Chief must take their orders from us.
Kindest Regards,
William Henry Stephenson