Survivors describe horror and disbelief at US checkpoint shooting
Ananova News
2 April 2003
Surviving members of
an Iraqi family whose van was riddled with bullets by US troops, killing 11 of their close relatives, have spoken of their disbelief at the "massacre". Bakhat Hassan says his family was convinced that a US air-dropped propaganda leaflet had advised them to flee their home and head towards coalition lines.
The message in Arabic read: "To be safe, stay put." But Hassan said he and his father thought it just said: "Be safe." To them, that meant getting as far away as possible from the helicopters firing rockets and missiles.
He says US troops had waved the family car through one checkpoint as they left their village on Monday.The family of 17 had packed into its 1974 Land Rover wearing their best clothes for the trip through the American lines "to look American".
But at the next checkpoint, the American soldiers opened fire."We were thinking these Americans want us to be safe," the 35-year-old Iraqi said from his hospital bed through a translator.
He said
11 members of his family were killed - his daughters aged two and five, his son aged three, his parents, two older brothers, their wives and two nieces aged 12 and 15.
His wife Lamea, who is nine months pregnant, said she saw her children die.
"I saw the heads of my two little girls come off," 36-year-old Lamea said. "My girls, I watched their heads come off their bodies. My son is dead."
Hassan and his wife were lying in beds next to each other in the green Army hospital tent near Najaf. He has staples in his head. She has a mangled hand and shrapnel in her face and shoulder.
US officials had claimed only seven people were killed in the shooting.
Story filed: 12:30 Wednesday 2nd April 2003
Survivors describe horror and disbelief at US checkpoint shooting
Ananova News
2 April 2003
Surviving members of
an Iraqi family whose van was riddled with bullets by US troops, killing 11 of their close relatives, have spoken of their disbelief at the "massacre". Bakhat Hassan says his family was convinced that a US air-dropped propaganda leaflet had advised them to flee their home and head towards coalition lines.
The message in Arabic read: "To be safe, stay put." But Hassan said he and his father thought it just said: "Be safe." To them, that meant getting as far away as possible from the helicopters firing rockets and missiles.
He says US troops had waved the family car through one checkpoint as they left their village on Monday.The family of 17 had packed into its 1974 Land Rover wearing their best clothes for the trip through the American lines "to look American".
But at the next checkpoint, the American soldiers opened fire."We were thinking these Americans want us to be safe," the 35-year-old Iraqi said from his hospital bed through a translator.
He said
11 members of his family were killed - his daughters aged two and five, his son aged three, his parents, two older brothers, their wives and two nieces aged 12 and 15.
His wife Lamea, who is nine months pregnant, said she saw her children die.
"I saw the heads of my two little girls come off," 36-year-old Lamea said. "My girls, I watched their heads come off their bodies. My son is dead."
Hassan and his wife were lying in beds next to each other in the green Army hospital tent near Najaf. He has staples in his head. She has a mangled hand and shrapnel in her face and shoulder.
US officials had claimed only seven people were killed in the shooting.
Story filed: 12:30 Wednesday 2nd April 2003
