US military accuses Reuters of lying.

October 20, 2004 3:51 PM

US military accuses Reuters of lying.Reuters had a camera crew on hand to see people digging a man, a woman, and four children out of a house in Falluja, and have video footage of this up on their site. The US military denies this ever happened, and have released a statement saying that "intelligence sources indicate a known Zarqawi propagandist is passing false reports to the media." Incredible...
posted by insomnia_lj (34 comments total)

I don't know what they're shouting, but I'm pretty sure it's not "Four more years!".
posted by nicwolff at 4:02 PM on October 20, 2004

Well, they don't do bodycounts, so how should/could they know?

Ignorance is bliss.
posted by hoskala at 4:09 PM on October 20, 2004

Did they ever clear up the story which was posted in the seconf week of October (couldn't find the link) about the video showing the pilot shooting on the unarmed crowd? They were supposed to be investigating...
posted by cell divide at 4:32 PM on October 20, 2004

Well, I'm going to apply a little different version of Occam's Razor to this and ask, Who's got the most to gain by lying?

I'd have to say the US military is full of shit and they don't care that they can easily be called on it.

They've been following our leader's example, lie enough and it becomes what passes for the truth. Only problem is that the video doesn't lie.

This is bad. Could the October Surprise be that Bush initiates a scorched earth policy?
posted by fenriq at 4:43 PM on October 20, 2004

"Intelligence sources....." - I wonder what passes for intelligence in this case ?
posted by troutfishing at 5:07 PM on October 20, 2004

This is what happens when you publish your rebuttal before your detractor publishes the proof...
posted by FormlessOne at 5:15 PM on October 20, 2004

The military is now part of the "faith based community." Great.

Oh, how excited Tommy Franks was when they defeated Saddam only to have everyone in the country raise their AK-47s not in triumph but in aiming at the nearest american soldier. The whole "we didnt see it coming" excuse is bullshit.
posted by skallas at 5:20 PM on October 20, 2004

i watched the other day while some general flatly denied there was any contaminated fuel on the "mutiny convoy". the families of the soldiers were still talking about contaminated fuel the last i saw. did that ever get ironed out?
posted by quonsar at 5:55 PM on October 20, 2004

You know, it seemed like the Vice President was pretty certain that Saddam Hussein had "weapons of mass destruction", yet the report he commissioned said that there weren't any and Hussein didn't have the capacity to build any.

So what happened with all of that, anyway?
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:01 PM on October 20, 2004

You know, it seemed like the Vice President was pretty certain that Saddam Hussein had "weapons of mass destruction", yet the report he commissioned said that there weren't any and Hussein didn't have the capacity to build any.

Surely you misspeak yourself. The war is about liberating the Iraqi people. It's always been about liberating the Iraqi people.

Oh, now I misspoke. The war is about abuses in the oil-for-food program. It's always been about abuses in the oil-for-food program.
posted by clevershark at 6:06 PM on October 20, 2004

Even if this particular bit of footage isn't of the bombing in question, what the fuck does the military fucking think happens when you drop bombs on places where people are? Who are they kidding and when do they eventually self destruct from this criminal, willful charade? This can't last can it? Can it?

This just makes my blood boil. The War On Terror is obviously a racist war. Don't believe it, you're willfully ignorant yourself.

War on terrorism eh? What miserable, dispicable newspeak. This hell the United States is bringing to the Iraqi people, day in, day out, shall one day bring about the end of us. All the money and resources that this great nationstate commands will not be able to save us from our own looming destruction.

All I needed to see was that the men in that footage were not happy -- the one's that were still alive at least. There is nothing more criminal in a Universe that humans still remain in, than threatening and attacking human beings repeatedly from the air with supersonic ships and projectiles.

We all shall reap what this band of inhumane, corporate lunatics has sown for us. At this point, even I would have preferred that the bastards had leveled with us -- I'd have still disagreed, but at least their story wouldn't have stretched credulity to its collective breaking point. But why should they ever have to tell us the truth? We're all subhuman swine as far as the corporate leaders and the corrupt military officer class are concerned. Our deaths are like every other death. Terrorism ensures more terror from above and terror from above ensures more terrorism in the streets and cafes. We all die. Those are your orders.

While trillions are looted from our common good.

Jesus, what a fiasco.
posted by crasspastor at 6:22 PM on October 20, 2004

[ Somewhere, perhaps, Jesus loves and weeps ]
posted by troutfishing at 6:27 PM on October 20, 2004

Surely you misspeak yourself. The war is all about Eastasia. It's always been about Eastasia.
posted by Keyser Soze at 6:30 PM on October 20, 2004

And what do you propose we do about this? Stand around behind our CRT shields and digitally sigh?
posted by Keyser Soze at 6:32 PM on October 20, 2004

We vote the murderous bastards out, and try to do things differently re: Iraq.
posted by amberglow at 7:00 PM on October 20, 2004

Keyser - Cast a harsh, purifying light on the creeping tendrils of the religious right.

Boogah.
posted by troutfishing at 7:04 PM on October 20, 2004

The backstory to all of this is that these attacks came after negotiations last week with representatives from Fallujah.

One of their representatives said...

"Zarqawi is like the weapons of mass destruction that America invaded Iraq for . . . We hear about that name (Zarqawi), but he is not here. More than 20 or 30 homes have been bombarded because of this Zarqawi and his followers but only women, children and the elderly have been affected."

So, the very next day, we detained their chief negotiator... and denied it... at least until we released him.

Absolutely incredible!
posted by insomnia_lj at 7:06 PM on October 20, 2004

One thing's for sure - none of the people being dug out of that rubble had anything to do with 9-11.
posted by 2sheets at 7:07 PM on October 20, 2004

.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:10 PM on October 20, 2004

/bam bam bam

"We hear ya hired out a book on Osama from the library too, ya commie"

/drags the squealing iamck out by his hair
posted by meech at 7:17 PM on October 20, 2004

Deja Vu
posted by semmi at 7:56 PM on October 20, 2004

.
posted by chicobangs at 11:06 PM on October 20, 2004

Something is in the works, according to a friend of mine in Iraq.

"Well, this could very well be my last entry..........forever.......maybe for a long time... i dont know. things have heated up tremendously.. its scary now.
and im leaving to go somewhere scarier.

i cant say any details...im about to be part of something big.... all i can say is watch the news...read the newspaper and you will see..."

Extra helpings of October Surprise, anyone?
posted by insomnia_lj at 12:50 AM on October 21, 2004

.
posted by crasspastor at 1:20 AM on October 21, 2004

More confirmation -- the soldier's unit is mentioned in this article that came out in the Army Times yesterday.
posted by insomnia_lj at 1:34 AM on October 21, 2004

Isn't it funny how none of this would be happening if Bush hadn't lied us into an invasion of Iraq?

Now here we are. I suppose they really do create reality don't they? The reality based community will haggle over it all for generations. Needless to say, many will die.

Is this the way history has always gone?

I suppose so. . .
posted by crasspastor at 1:47 AM on October 21, 2004

Minor snark: the accompanying article on the Reuters UK site states that people shouted "God is Greatest" (in Arabic: "Allahu akbar") as bodies were being carried out of the rubble, but in the video, they're actually shouting "La ilaha illa Allah," or, "[There is] no god but God." So I'm wondering what's going on here. Maybe they chanted "God is Greatest" at some other point that isn't on the included video, but then, why wouldn't the article mention what they do chant in the video? I notice that this is corrected in Yahoo! News' version (taken from Reuters - curiouser and curiouser...).

On another note: "La ilaha illa Allah" is the first half of the Shahadah, or the Islamic testament of faith. Might this chant be implying that the dead are shuhada', or martyrs? Can anyone with a more first-hand knowledge of contemporary Arab culture enlighten us?
posted by skoosh at 3:04 AM on October 21, 2004

Just received confirmation for an attack on Fallujah from a contact over in Iraq.

"We already knew this was coming. The MEF-1 has been sending out embed notices to reporters that they better be ready to move NOW (within the next seven days) and not to expect to be unembedded for two weeks or more. I would guess that it's going to happen early next week. We'll see."
posted by insomnia_lj at 3:48 AM on October 21, 2004

Fallujah? Goddamn, how many times do we have to conquer that place?
posted by kirkaracha at 6:13 AM on October 21, 2004

skoosh - it's not a part of contemporary Arab culture. There is a hadith to the effect that anyone that dies under falling masonry (tahtta al-radm) is a martyr. There is another along the lines that those that suffer in this world will not suffer in the hereafter - especially those that are killed unjustly.

Being Allah (swt) with his various omni-s, we believe he has a complete sense of justice - hence the more you bear in this world, the more lenient the decision upon you is come the last day. Plus that decision is made with all the evidence.

Hope that helps.
posted by Mossy at 6:16 AM on October 21, 2004

Something is in the works, according to a friend of mine in Iraq.

"Well, this could very well be my last entry..........forever.......maybe for a long time... i dont know. things have heated up tremendously.. its scary now.
and im leaving to go somewhere scarier..."

Could we get a direct link to that?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:43 AM on October 21, 2004

The papers here have been saying that the US has been withdrawing a lot of US marine units from other duties with the aim of moving them to Fallujah for an assault there. This is supposedly why the UK Black Watch soldiers have moved up to Baghdad; to cover for some of the withdrawn units. The UK papers seem fairly convinced that the attack on Fallujah will not take place until after the election.
posted by biffa at 7:43 AM on October 21, 2004

MEF-1: has been sending out embed notices to reporters.
posted by dash_slot- at 7:47 AM on October 21, 2004

"Could we get a direct link to that?"

Nope, as revealing the source could get a soldier in trouble. He didn't say much, but he probably shouldn't have said anything at all. I understand why he did, however.

I have confirmation now that both the Black Watch and forces from the US 7th Cavalry are shifting to cover for the Marines in question at Iskandariya. Expect the fighting to commence shortly after the British forces have shifted, and expect it to happen before the elections.

UK papers are wrong. Reporters who are embedded in US forces already know that orders to move out are imminent.
posted by insomnia_lj at 12:10 PM on October 21, 2004