Now, here’s a really bizarre story.
(06-21-2004) – Four U.S. service members were killed Monday – shot repeatedly in the head during an ambush while they were on patrol in the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Ramadi.
[…]
The four Americans killed in Ramadi had failed to check in at an appointed time, and a search was launched, Kimmitt said, declining further comment until relatives could be notified.Videotape delivered to Associated Press Television News showed the four, still in uniform, lying dead near what appeared to be a walled compound.
So, four Marines were on patrol and whoever jumped them took them all out, shot them repeatedly in the head, lined their bodies up in a macabre display, took a video of them and delivered it to the AP. When I first read this terse account, which is all that any news outlets are carrying so far, I thought they might have been beheaded, which would account for Kimmitt’s reluctance to tell what happened. It still may turn out that they were – then again, it may never be publicly announced either way. Maybe the video will be shown or at least an acount will be written of what it shows.
Anyway, this story stinks. Where was/is the vehicle the Marines were driving? How did they manage to be so completely overwhelmed? Are four person patrols normal in Ramadi, probably the most dangerous city in Iraq for Americans next to Fallujah? Why were they not found rapidly, after they failed to check in? Why didn’t they call for help at the first sign of an attack? Who made the videotape?
Too many unanswered questions surround this odd incident.
UPDATE: The AP reports a few more details:
A videotape delivered Monday to Associated Press Television News showed four Americans in uniform lying dead in what appeared to be a walled compound in Ramadi, an insurgent stronghold 60 miles west of Baghdad. One of the Americans was slumped in the corner of a wall.
The bodies had no flak vests _ mandatory for U.S. troops operating in contested areas _ and at least one was missing a boot. One fieldpack was left open next to a body as if the attackers had looted the dead before fleeing.
UPDATE: Information ClearingHouse has stills from the AP video. Click to enlarge this photo:
Thanks for the tip on the photos from poster Raincoast!