One Reason Iraqis Aren’t So Thankful…

I talked to Scott Horton yesterday about whether or not the Iraq war is really over and whether or not America endowed every Iraqi with freedom and independence (as opposed to a creeping dictatorship). But, as Iraqis burned the American flag yesterday during the last troops’ withdrawal, here’s a nice illustration of why they might not be so thankful:

The documents — many marked secret — form part of the military’s internal investigation, and confirm much of what happened at Haditha, a Euphrates River town where Marines killed 24 Iraqis, including a 76-year-old man in a wheelchair, women and children, some just toddlers.

…Iraqi civilians were being killed all the time. Maj. Gen. Steve Johnson, the commander of American forces in Anbar, in his own testimony, described it as “a cost of doing business.”

The Haditha massacre is reminiscent as well of the brutal slaughter of 10 Iraqi men, women and children in 2006, as revealed by WikiLeaks diplomatic cables.