This is an update to Mark’s posting immediately below. “We’re Going To Be Running A Colony” I’ve added emphasis to highlight what was done to these two children’s family.
These two boys are Ahmed Qassim Hamza and Mohammed Qassim Hamza. Ahmed is the boy on the left he’s aged 9. His brother Mohammed is 11.
They’re what’s left of the the family of the 14 year old girl raped and murdered in Mahmoudiya by a group of 5 US soldiers one of whom, Steven D. Green has now been charged with homicide and aggravated sexual assault. [A copy of the complaint against Green can be found here. - mfi]
- Their father Qasim Hamza Raheem’s head was “smashed” by bullets;
- Their mother Fakhriyah Taha Muhsin died of gunshot wounds to her head.
- Their seven year old younger sister Hadeel Qasim Hamza was shot dead.
- Their fourteen year old sister Abeer Qasim Hamza first raped then shot and her body burnt.
So these two children have had been orphaned by a brutal sex crime committed by at least one American soldier. Those two children are all that’s left. Now there comes this:
U.S. expresses condolences to Iraq family
The top U.S. commander in Iraq and the American ambassador expressed condolences Thursday to the family of the victims of an alleged rape-slaying attack against an Iraqi family by U.S. forces.Gen. George W. Casey and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, in their first remarks on the case, said the investigation into the attack would be pursued in a “vigorous and open process.”
“On behalf of the U.S. Mission and the Multi-National Force in Iraq, we wish to express our heartfelt condolences to all the family members who lost a loved one in Mahmudiyah on March 12, 2006,” they said in a statement, calling the alleged rape of a young Iraqi woman and the killing of her and her family “absolutely inexcusable and unacceptable behavior.”
“Coalition forces came to Iraq to protect the rights and freedoms of the Iraqi people, to defend democratic values, and to uphold human dignity. As such, we will face every situation honestly and openly, and we will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of the facts,” the statement said.
“We will hold our service members accountable if they are found guilty of misconduct in a court of law,” it added.
The general and the ambassador also promised to “work closely with the government of Iraq to ensure transparency as we complete the investigatory and legal processes.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called for an independent investigation into the attack and a review of the immunity of U.S. forces from Iraqi prosecution.
Former Army Pfc. Steve D. Green has been charged with rape and four counts of murder, and at least three other U.S. soldiers still in Iraq are under investigation in the attack.
I don’t see any expression of human concern for those two children do you? I don’t see any offer of restitution do you? I see absolutely no mention of any attempt even on the ex gratia CERP programme to ensure that two orphaned and traumatised children will be helped do you?
Janabi said that when he arrived at the house, he began to call for others to help him.
“But nobody came,” he said in a telephone interview Tuesday from Mahmoudiya, describing the eeriness he felt as he and his wife stood there. “I felt that I had made a disastrous decision. I felt I had made a mistake to rush so quickly to the house, because if the murderers were still there, they would kill me as well.”
He and his wife had to douse some of the flames before they could enter the home.
The couple had found the two young boys in the family crying as they stood outside the farmhouse, where they could see the bodies inside. The boys had been at school when the killings occurred but were home by the time Janabi and his wife arrived.
Source Emphasis added by me - Declan
Go read the complaint against Green that Mark linked to it’s very detailed, it’s very specific, it’s very plain what was done to those two children’s family — and by whom. It’s not as if there haven’t been a flood of complaints about how American soldiers behave. It’s not as if there hasn’t been attempted coverup after coverup after coverup. This cynical statement is nothing more than spin for home consumption.
Maybe I’m being unkind to the oh so well behaved and compassionate invaders. When can we expect to read that a team of Marines abseiled from a helicopter onto the roof of the people now giving these two boys shelter. Smashed the door in and bombarded them with toys from “Operation Give” to show how much they care?
Oh hang on hold operation “Exploding Teddybear” — they’ve already been hauled before Green’s commander.
“He hugged the children and kissed them several times,” Janabi said. “It was hard for him to control his tears.”
How heartwarming, I’ll bet they really enjoyed that the poor little sods, I’m sure that made them feel really better.
Declan
No tag for this post.
Oh come on Declan he did the best he could.
Declan - I expect these kids have dried their tears while hugging their Beanie Babies are comforted by the fact that their rape and murder of their family and the subsequent shame and dishonour heaped upon the family name is just another product of war - aka collateral damage. Realizing that above all they are now free and will forever hold a special place in their hearts for the US Marines and the good fight they have fought on behalf of all Iraqis in the name of freedom. I’d better go fast before I get thumped!
For whom was he doing the best he could pete in Texas?
If you expect me or any other Iraqi to believe that the welfare of any Iraqi child is a consideration for any American officer then you are very mistaken.
I will concede that he might have been upset and that he might even have felt some pity for them. But all of that would have been outweighed by his fear that his troops would deservedly come under increased targetting.
No my Texan friend - this was either just another murderous American officer trying to mitigate the consequences of yet another American murder. Or it was that coupled with the extraordinary American need to come to their victims and then add an insult by talking about their feelings. Nobody with even the smallest amount of decent feeling cares about the feelings of the man who has just murdered his family or of the feelings of the man who ordered that murder.