breakingnews.iol.ie/news/...=yx475zx44 (http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=104751338&p=yx475zx44)

wtf.
Ya they were dumbasses for firing guns into the air.. morons.
But this isnt good at all

Didnt this same thing happen in the last Iraqi conflict?

Oof, that'll hurt.

The end of the article mentioned a similar incident in Afghanistan a couple years ago.

As I understand it, firing off weapons in the air is a custom for weddings there. A very asinine one at that.

Ramadi is a stronghold of insurgents who are fighting the US-led coalition.This is one of the reasons why they are not supposed to have any weapons.

Turn in your weapons, stop being an insurgent, throw rice at weddings, register to vote, and be happy.

It's their version of a 21 gun salute.

But asinine or not, it won't make our PR any smoother.

Don't engage, Thormir. Akipt doesn't wish to hear a different side of life beside his own.
He's comfortable judging people from his own, western chair.

Be like us, or die, is pretty much his message.

Oh and hey, while we're at it...

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3728681.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3728681.stm)

Fired flares and a warning shot? ROFL.
The same missle launching system the Americans have, I guess?

[Target: Innocent Civilian. Engage!]

Yea it is their 21 gun salute, but for fucks sake use some common sense. There are troops EVERYWHERE, blatantly firing off your shit WILL draw return fire.

Maybe you anti-gun bitches should take your arguments over there. Last I checked I didn't go outside and unload a couple clips from the AR15 blindly in the air because I got some womans number.

Nor would you, Marz, as it's not tradition to do so.

In any case, I never said it was a smart thing for them to do. I put the tradition in context by showing it compared to one of our own, and I alluded to the event's consequences.

Well they need to take a long hard look at their tradition.

It's not like this is the first time this type thing has happened.

Yes, they must change their tradition. No blame goes on the folks firing off the missles.

Shit happens, eh? Wonder how many women and children were among the dead.

I'm not saying don't blame the pilots. They have the final decision to fire, using their judgement. I can assure you none of them enter into the decision lightheartedly.

None of us here, can understand what was going through their mind at the time.

And they don't have to "change" their tradition. But it would be wise of them to look around and think about the consequences of it.

Shit, if we did that type of thing here, the first thing out of your mouth would be "whats wrong with these gun loving twats"

Shit, if we did that type of thing here, the first thing out of your mouth would be "whats wrong with these gun loving twats"
I ask that question enough as is! ;)

Al-Ani said people at the wedding were firing weapons in the air, and that American troops came to investigate and then left.

However, he said, helicopters attacked the area at about 3am. Two houses were destroyed in the attack.

US troops took the bodies and those injured in a truck to Rutba hospital, he said.

This entire account of what happened is from the Doctor, who was over 40 miles away in his hospital in Ramadi when it happened.

How about we let the military investigate what happened before jumping to conclusions Halo? I mean, it's not like it was a gallon of sarin or anthing.

yea it must be a smart thing to fire guns in the air at 2 am

Well you shoot guns at military funerals, dontchya?

'And they don't have to "change" their tradition. But it would be wise of them to look around and think about the consequences of it.'

- Or maybe it's wise to realise, if a big wedding is going on, guns may be fired?
Perhaps then you guys need to simulate some cultural understanding of those you invade, you know, as some *crazy* idea of the hearts and minds campaign. But then.. why would you do that. Silly of me. I think that was abandoned a while ago.

It's unlikely that the copter pilots were aware of a wedding. It's also unlikely they could distinguish between celebrants firing their weapons and insurgents firing their weapons. Hopefully, the investigation will bring out the truth of the matter, but I suspect the Arab world is only looking at the casualty report, and al-Queda is drooling over the PR kick this will give their efforts in Iraq.

I also believe you have to clear the firing of rifals with the local authorities. If I go to a funeral and just start shooting a gun within city limits no amount of "oops" isn't going to cut it.

This is one of the reasons why they are not supposed to have any weapons.

Wrong answer.

Order 3, Section 3.3 from the Coalition Provisional Authority:

"Individuals may be authorized to possess Firearms for personal use by obtaining authorization from the Ministry of Interior, as described in Section 5 of this Order"

Firearms is defined as an automatic that has a caliber smaller than 7.62mm or any non-automatic gun. Also outlined in the order is that possession is only allowed at home or personal business location, all other areas are defined as public.

"Remote desert area" isn't very descriptive, but the article did say two houses were destroyed, so we have to assume this wasn't in a public place. If they had authorization cards ( and even that is a little murky ) and didn't have anything bigger than an AK-47 they were within the law of the land.

It's a tragedy either way, no matter how much some people try to blame the victims.

Fil

If they had authorization cards ( and even that is a little murky ) and didn't have anything bigger than an AK-47 they were within the law of the land.

Well, wrong answer...

Going from what you said, anything smaller than 7.62mm is legal... the AK-47 uses a .30cal (7.62mm) if I'm not mistaken, and they are also automatic. So they're illegal on two counts.

Anyway I thought all firearms were illegal except maybe handguns, thanks.

You misread, automatics are legal. My bad on the "smaller than 7.62mm", that was a bad paraphrase, the actual text is:

'"Firearms" mean automatic ( 7.62mm ( .308 caliber ) and under ) and non-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols for personal use'

www.cpa-iraq.org (http://www.cpa-iraq.org)
Order 3 Revised ( pdf ) (http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/20040109_CPAORD3-REV-AMD.pdf)

And AK-47 was my example of what was permissible, because I knew it was. Nothing in the article ever said what weapons were being fired.

Fil

'I also believe you have to clear the firing of rifals with the local authorities. If I go to a funeral and just start shooting a gun within city limits no amount of "oops" isn't going to cut it. '

- Been living in Iraq long?
Oopsie.. we're applying Western ideals to different cultures again, aren't we?
Bad boy.

Edit: Yey for double posts.

>Well you shoot guns at military funerals, dontchya?

yea, we get that cleared, we also don't go firing in a war zone, nor are we going to be firing our guns wildly in the air, they are rifles (that are aimed) and fired in a fassion you can tell apart from someone madly firing their weapon

on a different note, you brought up the firing salute we give to the military, for what ever reason we probably will never know since it is infact a different type of seramony and a different culture

nothing will get around the fact that they were firing their arms in the air chaoticly, at 2 am in a war zone

thats like taking a jog in a mine field

Or maybe it's wise to realise, if a big wedding is going on, guns may be fired?

You ever fly a chopper through a place where your liable to be hit with a SAM or peppered with gunfire at any given moment, in pitch darkness, at 3am, wearing night vision goggles that strip you of your natural ability to see properly?

No.

Didn't think so.

Shut the fuck up.

Pentagon is saying is wasnt a wedding, but a legitimate target and weapons, sat phones, passports and 2 million in syrian and iranian currency was recovered.

Hmmm.

haha sounds like they were trying to cover it up

Covering up the cover up with the corpses of beheaded children?

Or is America simply trying to compete with Israel in a massacre competition. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1220300,00.html)


What about America's new threat? (http://www.cicadaville.com/) Action is required, western civilisation must be saved!!

Linlaweniel says, "lalalalalalalala no lalalalalalalalala lalalaalala don't lalalalala stop lalalalalalalalalalala my lalalalalalalalalalalala ass lalalalalalala it hurts lalalalalalalalalala lalalalala when lalalalalalalalalalalala you lalalalalalalala forget lalalalalalalalalalalalalala to lalalalalala lalalalalalalalala lubricate lalalalalalala"

/nods at Akipt

My thoughts exactally.

It's actually sort of tragically sad that every thread appears to conclude with either AKipt or Osgiliath going "LALALALA I CANT HEAR U LALALALA".

Talk about worthy adversaries, eh.

Make weddings forbidden there, so problem solved.
Anyone who dares to marry face instant bombing from some copters.

The same thing happened in Kosovo and also in Afghanistan, i just can not believe US military is unable to learn from its mistakes.

It's actually sort of tragically sad that every thread appears to conclude with either AKipt or Osgiliath going "LALALALA I CANT HEAR U LALALALA".

Talk about worthy adversaries, eh.

If my "adversaries" resort to breeding from the bottom of a cess pool to get their mental acumen, or Kool-Aid drinking rhetoric spouting American bashers - then yes, it looks like a lalalalala response to me.

Get a clue.

Really now, who has a wedding in the middle of the desert...

...at 2 in the morning, no less?

--Cen

P.S. Oh, and guys, Lin kinda *does* have a point with the cicada link...I've been hit by one of those already. They're the size of fuckin' kaiser rolls and sound like lawnmowers. No joke.

www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/S...11,00.html (http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1221511,00.html)

Really now, who has a wedding in the middle of the desert...

...at 2 in the morning, no less?

--------------------

Well, you marry where you live. If you were a member of a tribe in iraq you would marry in the 'middle' of the desert.

And, oh well, don't know how weddings go at your place, but the party ends no sooner than 2am-5am here :)

Usually ends here when someone nails the bridesmaids.

well..

You can bet 60 Minutes or some other investigative reporting group has people over there right now tracking all of this down.
If it really was a wedding, we will hear the truth soon enough.
If it wasnt, I suspect the "outrage" will die down pretty quick.

Who the fuck has weddings at 3AM!( Not counting las Vegas!)

Or if they already had a wedding, why the fuk would the bride/groom still be partying with idiot ass family members at 3AM and not fucking each other?

Was there even a Bride/Groom at this supposed wedding?

Guilty!8o

Kal

LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALIBERALS
LALALALALALLALALALAWEDDING
LALALLALADON'TSHOOTATTROOPSDURINGAWAR
LALALALLLALLALLALABUSH
LALALALALKERRY
LALALALHALO
LALALALALEATSDICKLALALLALA.

I'd hate to let ya down friend.

edit: Added line breaks, to fix layout.

I'd hate to let ya down friend.

You know what I hate?

When people make me use my fucking horizontal scrollbar.

Christ on a pogostick, edit your post.

--Cen

Yeah. Not that I like to see weddings bombed, if it turns out to be that, but I mean, come one folks. Iraq is currently host to the United States military. I would think it obvious NOT to fire weapons into the air at night when bombs have been dropping in the area off and on for a year.

You folks can shout "dont harm their traditions, blah blah" all you want but COME ON. If throwing rice at weddings started causing the throwers erectile problems, how many of you would throw it?

I live in an area where insurgents are staging stints against the US military. I cant help this. I decide to get married. Perfectly OK thing to do. So I send out invitations and tell folks to bring their guns and shoot them into the air at night afterward (as tradition dictates)...........gene pool.... cleaner....

Ranei

'but COME ON.'

- Oh.. well that's that sorted out then.

Jesus Christ why did my post do that. Preview looked fine. EZ must have had a liberal at the switch at that moment. My apology Cen. How can I ever make it up to you? I just feel terrible about the whole thing.