US still killing Iraqi civilians

Residents mourn as they wait to claim bodies of bomb attack victims outside a morgue in Baghdad August 17, 2010.   REUTERS/Saad Shalash 

I guess this should come as no surprise – the US troops are still running around Iraq and still killing civilians.  This time it was an unlucky guy headed to work.

And, as usual, the US troops blame the Iraqi for getting himself killed for driving to work in his own country.

Airport worker shot dead by US soldiers

US troops killed an Iraqi airport employee today as he drove near a military convoy on his way to work.  US and Iraqi security officials asserted that the driver, identified by colleagues as Baghdad International Airport worker Karim Obaid Bardan, failed to heed repeated signals to slow down or turn on his headlights as he neared the military convoy. 

US army Colonel Barry Johnson said: "The vehicle was perceived as a threat and a decision was made to engage it with small-arms fire in order to stop it and to protect the convoy from a possible attack.  "Iraqi drivers know that they must use caution and avoid threatening behaviour when approaching military vehicles," Col Johnson added. 

I think it is bad enough they killed a guy for nothing, but to put the blame on the dead guy is truly disgusting.  I think Colonel Barry Johnson is a world class prick.

This incident happened on November 28, 2010.

One more unnoticed death in Iraq of an innocent civilian - among hundreds of thousands - from US violence.

His co-workers at the Baghdad Airport decided to shut down the airport for two hours in protest.  They said the killing happened near an American run checkpoint, not a convoy. 

Airport Closed After US troops kill engineer

An official at Iraqi Airways, speaking on condition of anonymity, said outraged airport personnel closed down the airport for two hours in protest. "Why such killing?" the Iraqi official demanded. "Where is the security agreement between the government and the U.S.? Was this the democracy they brought to us? Democracy of killing?"

He added of the victim, "He was an official going to his job."

I said many years ago that the US was bringing Iraq the democracy of death and the freedom of the grave.