So long Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, it’s been unreal. And if everything, we’ve been told is true — or even half — good riddance. But when those American F-16′s screamed over Zarqawi’s “safe house” and dropped their bombs, they also killed, according to CNN, “a woman and a child”. Inquiring minds would like to know who these people were. And did American intelligence sources know they would be there? And if they did, who signed the final order to allow the deliberate murder of a child? Maj. Gen. Bill Caldwell told CNN he “knew” they could strike that target “without causing collateral damage to other Iraqi civilians and personnel”. How young – or old — does one have to be classified as collateral damage?
Update… CNN has posted a transcript of Caldwell’s press briefing from Friday June 9:
QUESTION: The report yesterday that a child was killed in that, are you saying that that’s not the case right now?
CALDWELL: I’m saying I’m not certain at the moment. Because the initial report that I was provided in fact said there was a child, and then when I went through the after-action review today — again, as with any military operation, you get the first reports in. They’re fairly accurate, but they’re never complete. And then you give follow-on work to establish exactly what the factual facts are.
And the report today says it was six people, three males and three females; no children.
Obviously, it would have been better to capture this guy alive, than to kill 6 people. Let’s hope Caldwell’s “report” is telling the truth.