Ishaqi incident
Encyclopedia
The Ishaqi incident refers to the reported mass murder
of Iraq
i civilian
s allegedly committed by United States forces in the town of Ishaqi
in March 2006. After the incident, Iraqi police
accused the US troops of rounding up and deliberately shooting 11 people, including five children and four women, before blowing up their house. A US military spokesman at the time responded that it was "highly unlikely that [the allegations] were true". US authorities said they were involved in a firefight after a tip-off that an al-Qaeda
cell leader, Ahmad Abdallah Muhammad Na'is al-Utaybi, was visiting the house. According to the Americans, the building collapsed under heavy fire, killing four people—a suspect, two women and a child.
The incident immediately raised questions by U.N. investigators as revealed by diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks
.
In June 2006 the US indicated they were re-investigating the incident, after the BBC
obtained a tape from "a hardline Sunni group" that appeared to contain evidence supporting the allegations of the Iraqi police. The investigation found, on June 2, 2006 that US military personnel had followed the proper procedures and rules of engagement, and that they had done nothing wrong. The Iraqi government immediately rejected the results of the US probe, stating they would continue their own investigation.
in the Abu Sifa area of Ishaqi, (eight miles north of the city of Balad
). The raid targeted an Al-Qaeda
operative believed to have been present in the residence. The forces approached the house at around 2:30 am and a firefight ensued between the troops and unknown gunmen inside the house. The U.S. troops were supported by helicopter
gunship
s, which also fired on the house.
Matthew Schofield of Knight Ridder
Newspapers, who described the incident in an article on March 16, 2006, reported that as a result of the raid eleven Iraqi civilians were killed:
It was also reported that an Iraqi police report, filed by Staff Colonel
Fadhil Muhammed Khalaf, the Assistant Chief of the Joint Coordination Center claimed:
Knight Ridder Newspapers and Times Online interviewed the brother of the owner of the house, Ibraheem Hirat Khalaf, who claimed that he witnessed the assault from his home 100 yards (91.4 m) away. He said that the U.S. troops used six missiles from helicopters to destroy the house as they were leaving. Searching the wreckage, he found the body of his mother Turkiya, her face unrecognisable. “She had been shot with a dumdum
bullet,” he claimed.
A local police commander, Lt. Col. Farooq Hussain, interviewed by a Knight Ridder special correspondent in Ishaqi, said autopsies
of the bodies performed at a hospital in Tikrit
"revealed that all the victims had bullet shots in the head and all bodies were handcuffed." Amer Amery of Reuters
reported Hussain saying that "autopsies had been carried out at Tikrit hospital and [had] found 'all the victims had gunshot wounds to the head'. The bodies, found with their hands bound, had been dumped in one room before the house was destroyed, Hussain said. Police had found spent American-issue cartridges in the rubble."
Schofield's story, which credited an Iraqi police report, was related on the U.S. radio program Democracy Now in March 2006.
Another neighbour, Hassan Kurdi Mahassen, was woken by the sound of helicopters and saw soldiers entering Fayez's home after spraying it with such heavy fire that walls crumbled. Mahassen said that once the soldiers had left—after apparently dropping several grenade
s that caused part of the house to collapse—villagers searched under the rubble "and found them all buried in one room".
Reuters also reported that Major Ali Ahmed of the Ishaqi police said U.S. forces had landed on the roof of the house in the early hours and shot the 11 occupants, including the five children. "After they left the house they blew it up," he said.
Television footage
apparently from a local Iraqi station, "showed the bodies in the Tikrit morgue—five children, two men and four women. Their wounds were not clear though one infant had a gaping head wound." The Associated Press’ Hameed Rasheed was on the scene and took several images of the victims.
A US Army press briefing on March 15, 2006 referred to the incident:
On March 21, 2006, MSNBC
reported that the US Army was opening up an investigation due to this discrepancy:
The Pentagon investigation was closed in June of 2006 and cleared the soldiers of wrong-doing. Major General William B. Caldwell
, a senior US military spokesman, said in an official statement that "Allegations that the troops executed a family living in this safe house, and then hid the alleged crimes by directing an air strike, are absolutely false."
regarding questions about the raid made by U.N. inspector Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions.
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
s allegedly committed by United States forces in the town of Ishaqi
Ishaqi
Ishaqi is a small town in the Balad district of the Salah ad Din Governorate of Iraq about 60 miles north of Baghdad.-1st 2006 incident:...
in March 2006. After the incident, Iraqi police
Iraqi Police
The Iraqi Police Service are the uniformed Territorial police force responsible for the enforcement of civil law within Iraq.The current organisation, structure and recruitment practice was guided by the Coalition Provisional Authority following the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
accused the US troops of rounding up and deliberately shooting 11 people, including five children and four women, before blowing up their house. A US military spokesman at the time responded that it was "highly unlikely that [the allegations] were true". US authorities said they were involved in a firefight after a tip-off that an al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
cell leader, Ahmad Abdallah Muhammad Na'is al-Utaybi, was visiting the house. According to the Americans, the building collapsed under heavy fire, killing four people—a suspect, two women and a child.
The incident immediately raised questions by U.N. investigators as revealed by diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
.
In June 2006 the US indicated they were re-investigating the incident, after the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
obtained a tape from "a hardline Sunni group" that appeared to contain evidence supporting the allegations of the Iraqi police. The investigation found, on June 2, 2006 that US military personnel had followed the proper procedures and rules of engagement, and that they had done nothing wrong. The Iraqi government immediately rejected the results of the US probe, stating they would continue their own investigation.
Events
On March 15, 2006, U.S. Forces raided a house owned by Faiz Harat Khalaf, about sixty miles north of BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in the Abu Sifa area of Ishaqi, (eight miles north of the city of Balad
Balad
Al-Balad is the historical area of Jeddah, the second largest city of Saudi Arabia. Balad can literally be translated as "The City." Balad is the historic center of the City of Jeddah. Balad traces its history 2,500 years back as a fishing village when the Quda'a fishermen tribe settled...
). The raid targeted an Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
operative believed to have been present in the residence. The forces approached the house at around 2:30 am and a firefight ensued between the troops and unknown gunmen inside the house. The U.S. troops were supported by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
gunship
Gunship
The term "gunship" is used in several contexts, all sharing the general idea of a light craft armed with heavy guns.-In Navy:In the Navy, the term originally appeared in the mid-19th century as a less-common synonym for gunboat.-In military aviation:...
s, which also fired on the house.
Matthew Schofield of Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
Newspapers, who described the incident in an article on March 16, 2006, reported that as a result of the raid eleven Iraqi civilians were killed:
- Turkiya Muhammed Ali, 75 years
- Faiza Harat Khalaf, 30 years
- Faiz Harat Khalaf, 28 years
- Um Ahmad, 23 years
- Sumaya Abdulrazak, 22 years
- Aziz Khalil Jarmoot, 22 years
- Hawra Harat Khalaf, 5 years
- Asma Yousef Maruf, 5 years
- Osama Yousef Maruf, 3 years
- Aisha Harat Khalaf, 3 years
- Husam Harat Khalaf, 6 months
It was also reported that an Iraqi police report, filed by Staff Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Fadhil Muhammed Khalaf, the Assistant Chief of the Joint Coordination Center claimed:
- "The American forces gathered the family members in one room and executed 11 people, including 5 children, 4 women and 2 men, then they bombed the house, burned three vehicles and killed their animals."
Knight Ridder Newspapers and Times Online interviewed the brother of the owner of the house, Ibraheem Hirat Khalaf, who claimed that he witnessed the assault from his home 100 yards (91.4 m) away. He said that the U.S. troops used six missiles from helicopters to destroy the house as they were leaving. Searching the wreckage, he found the body of his mother Turkiya, her face unrecognisable. “She had been shot with a dumdum
Dum-dum
An expanding bullet is a bullet designed to expand on impact, increasing in diameter to limit penetration and/or produce a larger diameter wound. They are informally known as a Dum-dum or dumdum bullets...
bullet,” he claimed.
A local police commander, Lt. Col. Farooq Hussain, interviewed by a Knight Ridder special correspondent in Ishaqi, said autopsies
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
of the bodies performed at a hospital in Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
"revealed that all the victims had bullet shots in the head and all bodies were handcuffed." Amer Amery of Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reported Hussain saying that "autopsies had been carried out at Tikrit hospital and [had] found 'all the victims had gunshot wounds to the head'. The bodies, found with their hands bound, had been dumped in one room before the house was destroyed, Hussain said. Police had found spent American-issue cartridges in the rubble."
Schofield's story, which credited an Iraqi police report, was related on the U.S. radio program Democracy Now in March 2006.
Another neighbour, Hassan Kurdi Mahassen, was woken by the sound of helicopters and saw soldiers entering Fayez's home after spraying it with such heavy fire that walls crumbled. Mahassen said that once the soldiers had left—after apparently dropping several grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s that caused part of the house to collapse—villagers searched under the rubble "and found them all buried in one room".
- "Women and even the children were blindfolded and their hands bound. Some of their faces were totally disfigured. A lot of blood was on the floors and the walls."
Reuters also reported that Major Ali Ahmed of the Ishaqi police said U.S. forces had landed on the roof of the house in the early hours and shot the 11 occupants, including the five children. "After they left the house they blew it up," he said.
Television footage
Footage
In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...
apparently from a local Iraqi station, "showed the bodies in the Tikrit morgue—five children, two men and four women. Their wounds were not clear though one infant had a gaping head wound." The Associated Press’ Hameed Rasheed was on the scene and took several images of the victims.
US Military Response
Initial US Army reports quoted Major Tim Keefe, a US military spokesperson:- "A battle damage assessment, the initial reports, said that what they saw were four people killed - a woman and two children and an enemy - and they detained an enemy[...] A man suspected of being a "foreign fighter facilitator" was taken into coalition custody and is being questioned[...] I saw those [autopsy] photos and it didn't appear there were any handcuffs."
A US Army press briefing on March 15, 2006 referred to the incident:
- "Troops were engaged by enemy fire as they approached the building,” said Tech. Sgt. Stacy Simon, a military spokeswoman. "Coalition forces returned fire utilizing both air and ground assets."
On March 21, 2006, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
reported that the US Army was opening up an investigation due to this discrepancy:
- "'Because of that discrepancy, we have opened an investigation,' Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson, a senior U.S. spokesman in Baghdad, said on Tuesday.
The Pentagon investigation was closed in June of 2006 and cleared the soldiers of wrong-doing. Major General William B. Caldwell
William B. Caldwell
William B. Caldwell, IV is a United States Army Lieutenant General who is serving as the Commander, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan, as well as, Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan....
, a senior US military spokesman, said in an official statement that "Allegations that the troops executed a family living in this safe house, and then hid the alleged crimes by directing an air strike, are absolutely false."
Iraqi Government Response
Immediately after the US investigation was closed the Iraqi government responded by opening their own investigation, with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki aide Adnan al-Kazimi stating that the US report "was not fair for the Iraqi people and the children who were killed." In September 2011, the Iraqi government reopened their investigation after Wikileaks published a leaked diplomatic cableUnited States diplomatic cables leak
The United States diplomatic cables leak, widely known as Cablegate, began in February 2010 when WikiLeaks—a non-profit organization that publishes submissions from anonymous whistleblowers—began releasing classified cables that had been sent to the U.S. State Department by 274 of its consulates,...
regarding questions about the raid made by U.N. inspector Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions.
See also
- Command responsibilityCommand responsibilityCommand responsibility, sometimes referred to as the Yamashita standard or the Medina standard, and also known as superior responsibility, is the doctrine of hierarchical accountability in cases of war crimes....
- Haditha killingsHaditha killingsThe Haditha killings refers to the incident where 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed by a group of United States Marines on November 19, 2005 in Haditha, a city in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar. At least 15 of those killed were civilians...
- Hamdania incident
- Mahmudiyah incidentMahmudiyah incidentThe Mahmudiyah killings and gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl by U.S. troops occurred on March 12, 2006, in a house to the southwest of Yusufiyah, a village to the west of the town of Al-Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Five United States Army soldiers of the 502nd Infantry Regiment were charged with the crimes: ...
- Mukaradeeb wedding party massacre
- List of military scandals