Well this isn't the best recruitment drive they've ever thought up of.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/sep2003/iraq-s15.shtml

US soldiers slaughter 10 Iraqi police in clash outside Fallujah

As the level of attacks on US troops in Iraq and the number of casualties has continued to mount, the Pentagon has been attempting to recruit, train and deploy tens of thousands of Iraqi police

The deaths took place in the early hours of Friday morning. According to Iraqi officials, around 25 police officers in three vehicles were chasing a BMW after several gunmen opened fire on the governor’s headquarters in Fallujah, 50km west of Baghdad. Outside the town the police came under fire from a US patrol and were forced off the road near a hospital built by Jordan after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

More than an hour later, eight Iraqi officers were dead and nine more were injured—with another two dying later of their wounds. The nearby hospital was severely damaged by American tank fire, one of its Jordanian security guards was dead and five others were wounded. According to eyewitnesses, in the midst of the chaotic situation the hospital guards had become involved in the shooting.

No formal investigation has taken place and the details are still unclear. But of all the versions, the least likely is that provided by American military spokesmen. They have asserted that US forces only opened fire after being shot at by “unknown forces” from one of the three police vehicles. The claim, which is the routine explanation given in all cases involving the killing of Iraqi civilians, is directly contradicted by the statements of surviving officers and other eyewitnesses.


As with their explenation of the 2 shootings of unarmed groups of Iraqi Protesters but thats another post

Sergeant Assem Mohammed, who was wounded in the attack, told the Washington Post that the police had broken off the chase and turned around when they came under fire. Two of the three vehicles were white with blue markings that read “Iraqi Police, Fallujah”. The police were all members of the Fallujah Protection Force—a militia trained and equipped by US forces—and half were dressed in uniforms and wore distinctive arm bands with “FPF” in English.

The police tried to explain who they were but to no avail. “They kept firing, and we kept shouting at them, ‘We are police! We are police!” Mohammed said. Another wounded officer, Arkan Adnan, said that officers had shouted in English “Police” and “We are officers”. He said that one policeman had pulled off his armband and waved it in the air but was shot.

Several accounts indicate that the police were not even returning fire. Arkan Adnan told the New York Times that none of the Iraqi police had fired their weapons. An Associated Press reporter who examined the scene said none of the spent shell casings were from the AK-47 rifles used by Iraqi police. All came from weapons used by US forces

In the course of the frenzied attack, Dhia Mahmoud, a doctor at the Jordanian hospital, had approached the American force to request permission to evacuate the wounded but was refused. “I asked the Americans to let me in, and they said ‘No, you have to stop’,”

Abdul Jalil, another of the wounded police, told the New York Times that the US force had been armed with at least two tanks which opened fire not only on the police but the hospital as well. “The attack severely damaged one of the hospital’s buildings, which had large holes and soot in its concrete façade,” the newspaper explained. Hundreds of spent cartridges, including from large calibre weapons and tanks, littered the ground where the US forces had been positioned, just 15 metres from the spot where the Iraqi police had huddled.

Following the killings last Friday, the Fallujah police force is on the point of open mutiny, threatening to end any cooperation with US forces and vowing revenge. Sergeant Khaled Abed Hammadi told the Washington Post: “If they kill one of ours, we’ll kill 10 of theirs. If they kill 10 of ours, we’ll kill 100 of theirs. We will not stand for it, we’ll not support them, we want nothing to do with them.” A black banner was strung above the one-story police headquarters building. It carried the names of the dead and was inscribed with the words “Fallujah Protection Force mourns the martyrdom of its members who have been killed at the hands of American forces”.


So now they have armed and trained (albeit poorly) groups pissed off getting more pissed off looking to become martyrs.
Seems to be defeating the point of creating the FPS

During the funerals for the dead officers on Saturday, crowds took to the streets chanting “America is the enemy of God” and “The blood of our martyrs will not go in vain”. One of the mourners, Taleb Hameed, a 30-year-old school teacher, told the press: “We want the Americans to leave our country because they have brought us only death. We are fed up with their apologies. We will continue our resistance.”

Widespread anger at the massacre of Iraqi police has no doubt provided further fuel for the continuing guerrilla attacks on US troops in Fallujah. Two incidents have been reported over the last three days.

Last Friday a convoy of US Humvees came under attack from rocket propelled grenades after a bomb exploded underneath one of the vehicles. An eyewitness Haythem Saleh said that US troops poured onto the street and opened fire. “The Americans started to shoot randomly against the houses,” Saleh said. At least four bystanders were injured, including a young girl Usama Hamid who was playing in her house. She later died in hospital, compounding the anger of residents


Hmm what was the phrase...hearts and minds? i thought the idea of that was to win them not splatter them all over the side walk

As for the Iraqi police, they find themselves in an untenable situation, despised as collaborators by their fellow citizens and distrusted by their paymasters. Many are young and ill-trained. The remainder were members of the hated security forces of the Hussein dictatorship—another source of distrust and hostility.

A Washington Post reporter who went to the town found the US-trained police force besieged, demoralised and widely despised. The police complained to the newspaper that they were openly insulted as collaborators, lackeys and spies, on the occasions that they ventured outside the police station. “The people tell us we’re selling our country for dollars,” Thaer Abdullah Saleh said. “Even our families call us collaborators.”

The current police force are despised and exiled in their own country as US Spies and many are ex Secret Police from Saddams forces making them even more despised, why would these people continue sticking their necks out when they are under the impression the US is also just as happy to gun them down, it wont take much to push them to join the rest of the resistance rather then get shot at from both sides

But then i suppose on the part of the US it may be a good plan, train up and arm a force, then piss them off until they turn against you giving you an excuse to stay and increase your force, its worked before dang it it will work again huh, bring em on.

Unmarked vehicles, one mounting a heavy machinegun, tearing through a security checkpoint at night? There would have been a problem if they didn't open fire.

. Two of the three vehicles were white with blue markings that read “Iraqi Police, Fallujah”.
Come again Stokes?

Sergeant Assem Mohammed, who was wounded in the attack, told the Washington Post that the police had broken off the chase and turned around when they came under fire. Two of the three vehicles were white with blue markings that read “Iraqi Police, Fallujah”. The police were all members of the Fallujah Protection Force—a militia trained and equipped by US forces—and half were dressed in uniforms and wore distinctive arm bands with “FPF” in English.


I know selective reading can be a bitch but dont worry i'm always happy to re-post.

I a morbid way, you cant' really blaim the american soldiers, they must be nervous, feeling like sitting ducks in the hot sand, shooting at anything that moves, they could be attacked by anyone, by a bombcarrying female, a taxidriver or even people disguished as police...Surely do not wanna trade places with them

They need better communication procedures to avoid nasty accidents likes this or better get outta there....

Originally posted by DeeCee
Come again Stokes? http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/09/12/sprj.irq.main/index.html
FALLUJAH, Iraq (CNN) -- A shootout involving Iraqi police in pursuit of gunmen and U.S. forces developed into a fierce gunbattle early Friday in central Iraq, killing at least 10 people, apparently by mistake, local officials said.

Nine Iraqis and one Jordanian died in the fighting, officials said.

Iraqi police said that the shooting began when three gunmen in a BMW fired at their station in Fallujah, 43 miles (about 70 kilometers) west of Baghdad. The police said they pursued the men in unmarked vehicles and fired at them.

U.S. forces fired on both the police and suspects, witnesses said.

"The shooting started at about 1 in the morning," one witness said. "It got heavier and heavier.

"I am 100 percent sure this is American ammunition," he said, holding up spent shell casings.

Fallujah's mayor said the violence killed eight of the city's security personnel and left two others seriously wounded. One Iraqi policeman was killed and seven wounded, he said.This is the most recent update. It appears that all vehicles were unmarked, and also that one policeman was killed and seven wounded, not ten killed.
Originally posted by Vortexx
I a morbid way, you cant' really blaim the american soldiers, they must be nervous, feeling like sitting ducks in the hot sand, shooting at anything that moves, they could be attacked by anyone, by a bombcarrying female, a taxidriver or even people disguished as police...Surely do not wanna trade places with them

They need better communication procedures to avoid nasty accidents likes this or better get outta there.... I absolutely agree with this. Both the cause and solution.

Lol i'm sorry stoked but not only are you selectivly reading my posts it seems but you are even ignoring your own, lets start with mine

They didnt say that all vehicles were unmarked only that the Iraqi Police where shot at and chased an unmarked BMW, i need to get a third source to confirm the police car markings mine claims they were marked yours leaves it hanging in the air as the way it is phrased can be intepreted several ways.

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/09/12/sprj.irq.main/index.html

Iraqi police said that the shooting began when three gunmen in a BMW fired at their station in Fallujah, 43 miles (about 70 kilometers) west of Baghdad. The police said they pursued the men in unmarked vehicles and fired at them

It falls apart more from the US line when you take into account the fact that the police claim to have lost the chase and of turned around when the attack started, so then there is only a single unmarked police car and 2 marked police cars

my quote was

More than an hour later, eight Iraqi officers were dead and nine more were injured—with another two dying later of their wounds. The nearby hospital was severely damaged by American tank fire, one of its Jordanian security guards was dead and five others were wounded. According to eyewitnesses, in the midst of the chaotic situation the hospital guards had become involved in the shooting.

now you say only 1 dead and 7 wounded and yet in your own quote

Originally posted by Stokes Pennwalt
FALLUJAH, Iraq (CNN) -- A shootout involving Iraqi police in pursuit of gunmen and U.S. forces developed into a fierce gunbattle early Friday in central Iraq, killing at least 10 people, apparently by mistake local officials said.

Nine Iraqis and one Jordanian died in the fighting, officials said.

I take it you are going to come back that you really meant this line

One Iraqi policeman was killed and seven wounded, he said.

Now you unfortunatly conveinently ignored the paragrpahs above and below that one, let me give you the stats you missed from the same page

HEADLINE
At least 10 dead in Iraq in apparent mistake

The very firsts line of the report
Nine Iraqis and one Jordanian died in the fighting, officials said.

one Jordanian officer was killed and four Jordanian soldiers injured. An Iraqi who worked at the hospital also was wounded

Anyway as for Vortexx

Originally posted by Vortexx

I a morbid way, you cant' really blaim the american soldiers, they must be nervous, feeling like sitting ducks in the hot sand, shooting at anything that moves, they could be attacked by anyone, by a bombcarrying female, a taxidriver or even people disguished as police...Surely do not wanna trade places with them

They need better communication procedures to avoid nasty accidents likes this or better get outta there....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stokes
I absolutely agree with this. Both the cause and solution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So the cause is they are scared? why? because after killing countless innocents and trampling all over the people they claim to be "freeing" and making a complete mess of this by doing what America always does, sending inexperienced kids into a war for money with no understanding or respect of the culture they are being sent into, no way to comunicate and with a reputation and it seems a well earned one, of brutality and common criminality, and this is your reasoning for why it when they feel that someone coming towards them may be intent on hurting them its ok to mow them down first and ask questions later? sounds like your defending a guilty concience to me.
Thats certainly not a sollution, cause and effect maybe, not cause and sollution.

As for better communication thats something that should of been thought about before the war, using interpreters from Kuwait or Iraqi Exiles that have not been in Iraq for 10 years or more was a bad start, the fact that the troops are ignorant and in fact damn beligernat towards the culture does not help, the Open hand gesture that you and i take means to stop over here in Arabic cultures is a sign of welcome or greeting so some of the more backwards area may be relived to see an American road block welcoming them on after all they heard about people being shot at road blocks that they are being welcomed and drive on..only to get blown to peices.
A simple matter of culture differences, the little things count and in a war you are meant to think of little things like Culture communication and Language Before you invade and occupy somewhere, thinking of it afterwards is a little late.

Oh and just one more thing, if you feel better communication is the sollution please Stokes feel free to tell me a better way to communicate to US Troops that some is their ally than

a) Painting their cars with Identifiers in ENGLISH
b) Wearing Uniform
c) Wearing Bright Arm Bands with Identifiers on in ENGLISH
d) Standing up and Waving said armband in the air yelling in ENGLISH
c) WE ARE POLICE!! FALLUJAH POLICE!! DONT SHOOT DONT SHOOT!!! (The one that did that is now dead of course)
d) Cowering in a ditch and shouting IN ENGLISH DONT SHOOT and not fight back (Even in arabic this should communicate we fucking surrender)

that's what happens when you have 19 and 20 yr olds with M-16s

sounds like a bunch of amateurs.

is the US army so thinly stretched they're sending little babies to war?

i seen an interview on CNN in march with an 18 yr old (!!)
that would mean he's been in the army for less than a year before being sent to a serious operation like iraq

what do they expect? u got babies with guns doing a man's job of course there'll be mistakes like this one.

Whilst i dont feel age is a sign of lacking ability when you start making entire armies out of green conscripts right out of college yes you get problems like this.
Especially when many have this image of the average Iraqi as some backwater country retard who no body will miss.

They dont realise or dont want to see Iraqi's have a culture and intellegence, Iraq used to be a well off country and damn well educated, a lot of that is still remebered which makes what is happening and the way they are treated all the more painful.

The way the USA Is working at the moment is with so many people out of work and out of benefits and with social programs (Damn them socialist humanitarian scum) being slashed a lot of kids out of college see the armed forces as a good way to get some skills and money for later life after they leave..if they leave.
America has a culture geared heavily towards the army and they need it that way, so it seems all glamourous and patriotic and a lot of people with little other choice, even Jessica lynch falls into the above category, go sign on.

But even with that said Dubbya is now even pulling the rug out from them slashing benefits to the average soldier and slashing pensions etc they are being shafted all over now.

Dont get me wrong i get the impression a lot of the people signing up even if its due to lack of choice feel proud to be joining the US Forces, fair play, but i also get the impression a hell of a lot soon loose that illusion and even more will do so faster as the wars accelerate, the lies come out and their benefits are slashed.
The Younger US Troops seem happy to play soldier with all the new technology, spy satalites and missiles and airforce to pound their targets before they even engage an enemy, all of whom recently have been inferior yet have still proved to be something of a pain for them more often in the aftermath and poilitically than in damage done to millitary forces and assets, but i hope they are learning more from this experience that just its fun to shoot unarmed people as if these wars carry on and they end up attacking a more formidable opponent they will fall as we've seen so many times before when young american soldiers suddenly find themselves on the receiving end for a change but then i guess its the same for any country that has and uses an army formed of people that age.

Bloddy hell look at the picture of the HOSPITAL the us troops shot up when they got "Scared" by the evil Police men waving their armbands at them threatingnly

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/WORLD/meast/09/12/sprj.irq.main/vert.fallujah.friday.ap.jpg

From your own post Stokes, you justify turning a hospital into that kind of swiss chesse because they felt scared and forgot to communicate before opening fire????
I sincerly hope you never end up heading your community watch.

Originally posted by Psycho-Cannon
I take it you are going to come back that you really meant this lineYup. Your thread title is wrong, is all I was pointing out.
So the cause is they are scared? why? because after killing countless innocents and trampling all over the people they claim to be "freeing" and making a complete mess of this by doing what America always does, sending inexperienced kids into a war for money with no understanding or respect of the culture they are being sent into, no way to comunicate and with a reputation and it seems a well earned one, of brutality and common criminality, and this is your reasoning for why it when they feel that someone coming towards them may be intent on hurting them its ok to mow them down first and ask questions later? sounds like your defending a guilty concience to me.
Thats certainly not a sollution, cause and effect maybe, not cause and sollution.Ignoring the blathering demagoguery of this paragraph, I think we can safely assume that you've never been in combat. It's dark. There's gunfire and bullets flying around, and unmarked vehicles run the checkpoint the soldiers were ordered to defend. You're goddamn right they were scared. Are you suggesting that they should not be?
As for better communication thats something that should of been thought about before the warThis I agree with, and that's why I agreed with Vortexx's suggestion.
Bloddy hell look at the picture of the HOSPITAL the us troops shot up when they got "Scared" by the evil Police men waving their armbands at them threatingnly

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/WORLD/mea...h.friday.ap.jpg
I'm sorry, I didn't realize this is the thread where we pretend to be experts on the tactical engagement. I'll do my best to come up with equally retarded conjecture in the future,
From your own post Stokes, you justify turning a hospital into that kind of swiss chesse because they felt scared and forgot to communicate before opening fire????
Thanks for the straw man.

Originally posted by Stokes Pennwalt
I think we can safely assume that you've never been in combat. It's dark. There's gunfire and bullets flying around, and unmarked vehicles run the checkpoint the soldiers were ordered to defend. You're goddamn right they were scared. Are you suggesting that they should not be?


I didnt see anything about them running a check point, in fact they statments say that they had already turned around and were returning when THEY came under fire from the US Troops so at the time there was no engagement or gun fire. (Before you ask no i wasn't there but from all the statements i've seen so far thats the best i can asertain)

What im suggesting is that if they really want to stop turning more and more people against them compunding this problem of fear of being attacked by someone with a grudge they be more careful, how comes the rest of the coallition put togethter dont seem to be having this problem of constantly shooting the wrong people so that there are reports of it practically every other day to the point that even the police force they are trying to train to help them are turning against them.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize this is the thread where we pretend to be experts on the tactical engagement. I'll do my best to come up with equally retarded conjecture in the future,

It hasn't sorry i should of made my point that i was trying to show that this is helping to turn opion further against the US Troops (If thats possable) by turning the hospital into that state (Collatoral damage?), its going to make things worse.

No ive never been under live fire, but i know enough that if your in a dangerous environment where you dont feel you have the local populace on your side and are scared making more enemies isn't going to help you.

...and what do you mean by thanks for the straw =/ sorry for being ignorant but i dont understand.

how comes the rest of the coallition put togethter dont seem to be having this problem of constantly shooting the wrong people so that there are reports of it practically every other day to the point that even the police force they are trying to train to help them are turning against them.

Danish forces shot some dude way back, the investigation into the shoting claims the soldier did the rigth thing, but the local still claim they where just fishing.
The shoting was 2-3 month ago the invistigation just reasently finish.

Fair play.
I know the US Troops are at a disadvantage for a few reasons, obviously being in the driving seat and the majority in numbers there are going to be increased incidents but it still seems out of proportion to the rest of the coallition.
Its just something that needs to be looked at if they ever seriously want to reduce the number of attacks they are facing and actually convince both the iraqi people and the world that there is some hope for this turning out as anything other than a disaster.

think we can safely assume that you've never been in combat. It's dark. There's gunfire and bullets flying around, and unmarked vehicles run the checkpoint the soldiers were ordered to defend. You're goddamn right they were scared. Are you suggesting that they should not be?
LoL:D
So in your opinion Stokes do you think the CNN headline should have been "Scared American soldiers shoot wildly into the dark"?
Try training your troops properly and you may find this sort of thing happens less.
Dee Cee

Even well-trained US forces have no clear mission in Iraq, no dependable friends in Iraq, and no exit strategy. You can't train anyone to function well in an impossible situation. In many coming engagements their frustration will override the best of their training.

Originally posted by hypewaders
Even well-trained US forces have no clear mission in Iraq, no dependable friends in Iraq, and no exit strategy.

They have a perfect plan and reasons


1- They are looking for WMD.( Destroyed 10 years ago )

2- Iraq was a imminent threat to usa. ( With no missile able to reach more than 150 miles)

3- They had ties to Alqeda. ( admisntration denies it now )

4- Sadaam was responsible for 9/11 indriectly or directly.
( President of usa rejected it)

5- They saw people dancing in street after 9/11 and looking for them. ( Sounds like a perfect plan to go to war )


Would you like to add more?

Looks like they want to accelerate their jump out of the Iraqi Cities to try to reduce the costs of the occupation and level of attacks and provocation.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3467612&src=eDialog/GetContent&section=news

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Thursday he was looking at whether he could pull his troops out of some cities and would do so right away if it was clear local security forces were ready to take over.

"We would be willing to do that immediately if those conditions existed anywhere in the country," said Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of the 150,000-strong U.S.-led task force charged with stabilizing postwar Iraq.

"We are looking at that right now to see if there are some cities where... the capacity is already in place and we'd be more than glad to begin to move out of there," he said.

Sanchez told a news briefing U.S. troops would move to locations outside the cities but would still be ready to assist local police and other security forces as necessary.

The U.S.-led authorities running the country since the war that ousted Saddam Hussein in April have been training a new Iraqi police force and army. Tens of thousands of police are on duty and the first new army battalion is due to graduate early next month.

Iraq's U.S.-led administration now hopes to train up to 40,000 Iraqi soldiers within a year -- twice as quickly as originally planned, Walter Slocombe, a senior official overseeing the program, said at the Pentagon on Wednesday.


I suppose this will be a good thing in that it reduces strain on the troops, takes them out from the cities so they are not directly in the line of fire or taking part in day to day activites and the problems thats caused.

The problems are that many of the police are taking the role to take control and help hurry the Americans out of the cities and many are already publicly denouncing the Americans especially those who took the above situation personally as per the post.

Also the fact that many of them are Ex Secret Police from Saddams reign who are being put back in a postition of power albeit with the promise that the US troops are just a call away, but given the way the US Troops have been accused of acting what deterent is that to be totally honest about their activities.

Also the Police are seen by many of the population as traitors and American Lackeys though at least it's still not as bad as American Troops themselves, they at least have local knowledge and language.

Will it work won't it work =/, and will the troops relived be allowed to go home as they were promised and i'm sure its what many of them will be thinking it means, or will they just be moved onto more active rolls like hunting down "terrorists" as they are in Afghanistan.

Originally posted by Psycho-Cannon
I didnt see anything about them running a check point, in fact they statments say that they had already turned around and were returning when THEY came under fire from the US Troops so at the time there was no engagement or gun fire. (Before you ask no i wasn't there but from all the statements i've seen so far thats the best i can asertain)The running of the checkpoint is better defined in this article:
Police and witnesses said US forces opened fire on Iraqi police chasing a car carrying gunmen as it passed through an American checkpoint.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3102920.stm
how comes the rest of the coallition put togethter dont seem to be having this problem of constantly shooting the wrong peopleThey don't? British units had friendly fire incidents in the war too. It's not like any military is immune from them. Blue-on-blue or blue-on-white accidents happen. That's just an unfortunate reality of combat.
...and what do you mean by thanks for the straw =/ sorry for being ignorant but i dont understand. No worries. It's a logical fallacy that's easy to make. http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html
Originall posted by DeeCee
So in your opinion Stokes do you think the CNN headline should have been "Scared American soldiers shoot wildly into the dark"?
Try training your troops properly and you may find this sort of thing happens less.
Dee CeeThis isn't something that more training or discipline can eliminate. Like I said above, it's an inevitable and unfortunate byproduct of the tenuous occupation. How do you think more training can improve this?

Trigger happy aren't they??

A car trying to RAM a Humvee or a truck. What a fucked up excuse to shoot.



U.S. Troops Fire at Italian Diplomat's Car in Iraq
Fri Sep 19,10:25 AM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!



BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops opened fire on a car carrying an Italian diplomat who holds a senior position in Iraq (news - web sites)'s U.S.-led administration, killing his Iraqi interpreter, American military sources said Friday.


Pietro Cordone, senior adviser on culture for the U.S.-led authority, was unhurt, Italian Foreign Ministry sources said. Cordone has been leading efforts to recover priceless antiquities looted from museums and archeological sites since the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


The U.S. military sources said Cordone's car was shot at after it repeatedly tried to overtake a U.S. convoy near Tikrit, Saddam's hometown.


Soldiers repeatedly warned the car not to overtake, the sources said, and opened fire when they thought the vehicle was trying to ram them.


Many Iraqis accuse U.S. troops of being too quick to open fire and failing to follow rules of engagement.


Human rights groups say many innocent Iraqis have been killed. The United States says it keeps no figures on civilian casualties.


Last week, the U.S. Army apologized after soldiers in the tense town of Falluja killed 10 Iraqi security guards and a Jordanian in a gun battle that was later described as an accident.


Locals in Falluja say U.S. troops there also killed a teen-ager Wednesday night when they opened fire after hearing celebratory gunshots from a wedding, mistakenly believing they were under attack.


Last month, a U.S. soldier shot dead award-winning Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana on the outskirts of Baghdad. The U.S. Army said the soldier mistook Dana's camera for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. (Additional reporting by David Brough in Rome)

This isn't something that more training or discipline can eliminate. Like I said above, it's an inevitable and unfortunate byproduct of the tenuous occupation. How do you think more training can improve this?
Don't be silly Stokes
I'm not suggesting that such incidents will never happen but US forces seem to do this sort of thing with monotonous regularity. 'Blind' fire is a recipe for disaster in urban areas. If your local police force applied the same criteria towards threat assesment your streets would be so much quieter :).
Iraq is now a police action, if US troops can't handle that task then they shouldn't be there.
Contrary to what you may believe, human beings are tough and adaptable and it is possible to train soldiers to check their targets while under fire. During 40 years of policing in a hostile urban enviroment the UK army has shown remarkable restraint in NI. Such restraint has cost the lives of troops but undoubtly saved the lives of civilians. You just need the political will to take the losses.
Btw remember The Iranian Embassy Siege? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/5/newsid_2510000/2510873.stm)
Only one civve killed. shows it can be done.

Nothing is impossible Stokes. You just have to try.
Dee Cee

Bullets don't make Morton-THiokol , McDonnell, and Boeing enough money, so you can be sure that Congress will vote to eliminate Wussy Weapons of Miniscule Destruction, and fund the Nookyooler Bunker Busters, Crusader SPGs, and Space Balls (or was that Strangelove).

And they said Americans had lost 'maginot-ion and (Strategic D-Fence) Initiative. Bah! We can have an arms race all by ourselves, and swarthy people can't ever penetrate our Pure Down-Home Land-Security.

Did you hear something?:eek:

Oops, gotta duck and cover, it's another brownout or....?