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Report: US is 'trigger happy'
21/10/2003 11:15 - (SA)
New York - A Human Rights Watch report released on Tuesday accused the US military of failing to investigate Iraqi civilian deaths arising from excessive use of force by US troops in Baghdad.
The 56-page report, Hearts and Minds: Post-War Civilian Casualties in Baghdad by US Forces, confirmed 20 civilian deaths in Baghdad between May 1 and September 30.
The New York-based rights watchdog said it had collected credible reports of 94 civilian deaths in the Iraqi capital, involving "questionable legal circumstances" that warrant investigation.
"It's a tragedy that US soldiers have killed so many civilians in Baghdad," said Joe Stork, acting executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch.
"But it's really incredible that the US military does not even count these deaths. Any time US forces kill an Iraqi civilian in questionable circumstances, they should investigate the incident," Stork said.
Last month, the human rights group Amnesty International condemned what it claimed was a virtual licence for occupying troops to kill in Iraq, with no proper probes into civilians killed by US soldiers.
According to Human Rights Watch, the US military says it has concluded five investigations above the division level, ordered by the deputy commanding general, into alleged unlawful deaths.
Of these, soldiers were found to have operated "within the rules of engagement" in four cases. In the fifth case, two soldiers face disciplinary action for provoking a violent clash by trying to tear down a Shi'ite banner.
After conducting its own investigation into two of the five cases, Human Rights Watch said it had found evidence to suggest that soldiers had used excessive force, including shooting a person who had his hands in the air.
Over-aggressive tactics
"The cases we documented in this report reveal a pattern of over-aggressive tactics, excessive shooting in residential areas and hasty reliance on lethal force," Stork said.
The report is based on more than 60 interviews and information gathered from Iraqi witnesses, victims' relatives, police records, local and international human rights groups, media accounts, and the US military.
The report concluded that soldiers were often too quick to resort to the use of lethal force, which was not always directed at the intended target.
"Iraq is clearly a hostile environment for US troops," Stork said. "But that does not absolve the military from its legal obligations to use force in a restrained and proportionate manner, and only when necessary."
Echoing the Amnesty International warning, Stork said the lack of high-level investigations into many questionable incidents had created an atmosphere of impunity.
"Soldiers must know they will be held accountable for the improper use of force," he said. "Right now, soldiers feel they can pull the trigger without coming under review."
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