Bodies of U.S. civilians strung from bridge in Iraq

[Guest trancepriest]

Four U.S. civilians killed in Iraq

Residents hang bodies from bridge

Wednesday, March 31, 2004 Posted: 1:04 PM EST (1804 GMT)

Flames engulf one of the two civilian vehicles that gunmen attacked in Fallujah, Iraq.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Suspected insurgents killed four American civilian contractors in a grenade attack Wednesday in central Iraq, U.S. officials said.

Cheering residents in Fallujah pulled charred bodies from burning vehicles and hung them from a Euphrates River bridge.

Crowds gathered around the vehicles and dragged at least one of the bodies through the streets, witnesses said.

Residents pulled another body from one of the cars and beat it with sticks.

Also in the Fallujah region, five American soldiers died in a roadside bombing near Habbaniya, the U.S. military said.

The fatalities bring the U.S. military death toll in Iraq to 600, 408 of them in hostile action.

In the attack on the civilians, witnesses said two Mitsubishi vehicles left a military base east of Fallujah to make their way into the city, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Baghdad.

The vehicles turned onto a Fallujah street as men -- whose faces were covered by headscarves -- split into two groups and threw hand grenades at the cars, witnesses said.

The assailants then sprayed the burning cars with small-arms fire.

Video showed crowds chanting and cheering at the scene, with charred corpses hanging from the bridge over the Euphrates.

The U.S. State Department said the U.S. citizens worked for a company contracted by the coalition to work in Iraq.

Fallujah is part of al Anbar province in the "Sunni Triangle," a region north and west of the capital that has been a hotbed of opposition to the U.S. presence.

The White House condemned the "horriffic attacks" by people "trying to prevent democracy from moving forward," spokesman Scott McClellan said.

A changeover of power from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Marines is under way in al Anbar.

"There's a small core element [in Fallujah] that doesn't seem to get it," said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, an Army spokesman who confirmed the four killed in the two-vehicle convoy were not military personnel.

Coalition Provisional Authority spokesman Dan Senor said those who exulted over the attack "are not people we are here to help. They are people who have a much different vision for the future of Iraq and the overwhelming majority of Iraqis."

Also Wednesday, two bodyguards for the governor of Diala province and three civilians were wounded in Baqubah, north of Baghdad, when an attacker pulled a car up beside the governor's car and detonated a bomb, Kimmitt said.

The bomb damaged vehicles and a building, but the governor was unharmed, he said.

In other violence Wednesday, three British troops were wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near the southern Iraqi city of Basra, a British Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Spokesman Paul Sykes said the troops are receiving medical treatment. One of them was seriously injured, Sykes said, but he didn't know the exact nature of the wounds.

In northern Iraq, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police detained 20 people Tuesday suspected of anti-coalition activities:

Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and Iraqi police detained 10 people in Mosul. Iraqi police in Mosul also apprehended two people wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting.

Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment detained five suspects speeding away from the scene of a rocket attack in Hammam Al Alil near Mosul. The soldiers detained two suspects after searching door-to-door in Hammam Al Alil. Also in Hammam Al Alil, soldiers detained one suspect at a traffic control point.

[Guest LeVeL]

Those fucking Iraquis are really something, we go are overthere trying to make their country a democratic country. We are giving them money to rebuild. We made their madman leader Saddam run for his life for he can let his people live in peace. And this is what we get out of it. After these people are all burned up from this incident they then got the balls to hang them from a bridge, these MOTHERFUCKERS have some nerve!!!

We should bomb the shit out of their country leave it the way it is and fucking hang them for doing this. This is nota humane thing to do, the people who did this deserve to be punished.

[Guest LeVeL]

Yup I would be a trigger happy motherfucker......their would be so much lives taken with my gun. That I would have a home reserved in Hell. Fucking Iraq!!! And to believe all this shit is coming out of our motherfucking pockets, sorry for the language just this incident gots me so mad right now, I that I feel like hurting someone.

[tgibson]

It's truly sick.

I have been trying to follow the middle east story for some time now, but I must say I am getting to the point where I think that part of the world could just be nuked...

[Guest pod]

Acts like this just perpetrate more acts like that. It's only natural to want revenge...I'm sure a few Iraqi militants are gonna be strung up at some point.

[Guest bcnjunkie]

Those fucking Iraquis are really something, we go are overthere trying to make their country a democratic country. We are giving them money to rebuild. We made their madman leader Saddam run for his life for he can let his people live in peace. And this is what we get out of it. After these people are all burned up from this incident they then got the balls to hang them from a bridge, these MOTHERFUCKERS have some nerve!!!

We should bomb the shit out of their country leave it the way it is and fucking hang them for doing this. This is nota humane thing to do, the people who did this deserve to be punished.

we shouldn't have been there in the 1st place

[Guest LeVeL]

Well we unfortunately are and now acts like this are going to become more common to our society all thanks to president Bush. My cousin is a Marine whos overthere in Iraq and everyday I worry about him not returning to this side of the world all due to some idiot blowing himself up for Islam. I dont know who else has family in the military fighting these wars abroad but these acts affect me very dearly.

[V. Barbarino]

i was not happy to read this , this morning..

but, i have faith, and god is watching....

god knows we the americans may fuck up, but we belive we are doing the right thing thus we will be judged based upon that, but these camel jockies are just evil and god is going to have his revenge on them....

[tgibson]

We in America are just happy with killing a person and perhaps having sex with em afterwards... Damn Iraqi's got to get gruesome and all.

Gross...

[LESjunkie]

I have to admit that I'm a left leaning liberal... and I don't think we should be in Iraq... but with that said... if I was over there... I'd be one trigger happy Marine.

strange boy you are. no wonder you have the title "priest" in your name.

[Guest durrtylexx]

Fucking religious freaks, they take things to such extremes!!Not just Muslims or Islamic freaks, but everyone else down to them people that come to my house and ring the doorbell passing out flyers every Saturday morning.I believe in freedom of religion but let me be.Its my life so dont impose your bs on me.As far as these Iraqi's are concerned I have friends in Iraq and in other parts of the world, burn those who try to kill or hurt us.I love the U.S.A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest bcnjunkie]

All religious fanatics need to back off !!! ;D

[Guest web_norah]

Those fucking Iraquis are really something, we go are overthere trying to make their country a democratic country. We are giving them money to rebuild. We made their madman leader Saddam run for his life for he can let his people live in peace. And this is what we get out of it. After these people are all burned up from this incident they then got the balls to hang them from a bridge, these MOTHERFUCKERS have some nerve!!!

We should bomb the shit out of their country leave it the way it is and fucking hang them for doing this. This is nota humane thing to do, the people who did this deserve to be punished.

we shouldn't have been there in the 1st place

yup, there goes another brilliant move by the president and his cabinet....entering a war in Iraq

what happened to those weapons of mass destruction?

[Guest JMT]

Those fucking Iraquis are really something, we go are overthere trying to make their country a democratic country. We are giving them money to rebuild. We made their madman leader Saddam run for his life for he can let his people live in peace. And this is what we get out of it. After these people are all burned up from this incident they then got the balls to hang them from a bridge, these MOTHERFUCKERS have some nerve!!!

We should bomb the shit out of their country leave it the way it is and fucking hang them for doing this. This is nota humane thing to do, the people who did this deserve to be punished.

we shouldn't have been there in the 1st place

yup, there goes another brilliant move by the president and his cabinet....entering a war in Iraq

what happened to those weapons of mass destruction?

keep beating away, maybe you can kill that horse again.

[Guest antonio]

Fucking religious freaks, they take things to such extremes!!Not just Muslims or Islamic freaks, but everyone else down to them people that come to my house and ring the doorbell passing out flyers every Saturday morning.I believe in freedom of religion but let me be.Its my life so dont impose your bs on me.As far as these Iraqi's are concerned I have friends in Iraq and in other parts of the world, burn those who try to kill or hurt us.I love the U.S.A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen

[bornslippy22]

keep beating away, maybe you can kill that horse again.

LOL...most Iraqis arent like those...this happened in the Sunni Triangle...that zone is HOT...always has and prob. always be...we shall see how things progress these few days, expect a US military backlash...

[Guest bcnjunkie]

a us military backlash... that will undoubtedly kill innocent civilians, that will inturn set a rage against occupying US forces that will inturn cause another attack on US soldiers (young US soldiers with families back home). It will be a nasty circle !, welcome to Vietnam 2004 !, nice job Bush !

Still we don't realize that world doesn't see us (now more than ever) as a benevolent giver and defender, instead they see us as an evil, conquering, imperialistic tyrant who will use any excuse to do as we please and impose on whomever we want ! we are quickly loosing respect in the world and it's a shame because it hasn't to do with american people but our elected governors !

[Guest JMT]

a us military backlash... that will undoubtedly kill innocent civilians, that will inturn set a rage against occupying US forces that will inturn cause another attack on US soldiers (young US soldiers with families back home). It will be a nasty circle !, welcome to Vietnam 2004 !, nice job Bush !

Still we don't realize that world doesn't see us (now more than ever) as a benevolent giver and defender, instead they see us as an evil, conquering, imperialistic tyrant who will use any excuse to do as we please and impose on whomever we want ! we are quickly loosing respect in the world and it's a shame because it hasn't to do with american people but our elected governors !

i think someone forgot to take their meds today.

thats a slap in the face to vietman vets. this war is not even close. and those innocent civillians (which is nothing but speculation) you blather about are the same ones shooting up non military personnel in that town.

[Guest JMT]

keep beating away, maybe you can kill that horse again.

LOL...most Iraqis arent like those...this happened in the Sunni Triangle...that zone is HOT...always has and prob. always be...we shall see how things progress these few days, expect a US military backlash...

exactly. this happened in the main pro-saddam city in Iraq.

[bornslippy22]

thats a slap in the face to vietman vets. this war is not even close. and those innocent civillians (which is nothing but speculation) you blather about are the same ones shooting up non military personnel in that town.

my old man would LOVE to have a sit down with anyone who compares this to Nam..again i say, most of the brutual fight is happening in the Sunni triangle...the most thats happening anywhere in Iraq might be in Baghdad, people protesting (peacefully at that) the closing of the newspaper...90% of the trouble makers are coming from the Sunni triangle...i also read somewhere that most of those "roadside bombs" are being made in Fallujah...

[Guest bcnjunkie]

a us military backlash... that will undoubtedly kill innocent civilians, that will inturn set a rage against occupying US forces that will inturn cause another attack on US soldiers (young US soldiers with families back home). It will be a nasty circle !, welcome to Vietnam 2004 !, nice job Bush !

Still we don't realize that world doesn't see us (now more than ever) as a benevolent giver and defender, instead they see us as an evil, conquering, imperialistic tyrant who will use any excuse to do as we please and impose on whomever we want ! we are quickly loosing respect in the world and it's a shame because it hasn't to do with american people but our elected governors !

i think someone forgot to take their meds today.

thats a slap in the face to vietman vets. this war is not even close. and those innocent civillians (which is nothing but speculation) you blather about are the same ones shooting up non military personnel in that town.

the only one speculating is you !, yes there are insane brainwashed people in those countries but there are plenty who are plain innocent citizens that will be killed and american soldiers ! this war is slap in the face to Americans, using it as an excuse to supposedly go after terrorists, Bullshit !, you wanna hit the hard, go to the root of the problem THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS that help them financially and give them a roof like Saudi Arabia, Lybia and Nigeria. You don't see the vicious circle of "army backlashes" and "civilian attacks", it won't end ! and what are we going to do ? place a purely Iraqui goverment ? don't you guys always say they are all religious fanatics ? so what then ? place a puppet goverment to the US, oh yeah ! that will make us look great in world's eyes ! so not imperialistic !. What do we do then ? Our economy is even worse, oil is up, Dollar is down against the Euro, young americans are dying unecessarily and who do you think finances this war ? where do you think the money comes from ? yeah Grand war !