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US troops view Iraqis as untermenschen

Posted by Andreas (Guest) - Sunday, May 2 2004, 21:30:47 (CEST) from 217.255.207.67 - pD9FFCF43.dip.t-dialin.net Network - Windows 2000 - Internet Explorer Website: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040510fa_fact Website title: The New Yorker: Fact

US troops view Iraqis as untermenschen 1) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F04%2F11%2Fwtact11.xml U.S. Tactics Condemned by British Officers By Sean Rayment Telegrah UK Sunday 11 April 2004 Senior British commanders have condemned American military tactics in Iraq as heavy-handed and disproportionate. One senior Army officer told The Telegraph that America's aggressive methods were causing friction among allied commanders and that there was a growing sense of "unease and frustration" among the British high command. The officer, who agreed to the interview on the condition of anonymity, said that part of the problem was that American troops viewed Iraqis as untermenschen - the Nazi expression for "sub-humans". Speaking from his base in southern Iraq, the officer said: "My view and the view of the British chain of command is that the Americans' use of violence is not proportionate and is over-responsive to the threat they are facing. They don't see the Iraqi people the way we see them. They view them as untermenschen. They are not concerned about the Iraqi loss of life in the way the British are. Their attitude towards the Iraqis is tragic, it's awful. "The US troops view things in very simplistic terms. It seems hard for them to reconcile subtleties between who supports what and who doesn't in Iraq. It's easier for their soldiers to group all Iraqis as the bad guys. As far as they are concerned Iraq is bandit country and everybody is out to kill them." The phrase untermenschen - literally "under-people" - was brought to prominence by Adolf Hitler in his book Mein Kampf, published in 1925. He used the term to describe those he regarded as racially inferior: Jews, Slaves and gipsies. Although no formal complaints have as yet been made to their American counterparts, the officer said the British Government was aware of its commanders' "concerns and fears". The officer explained that, under British military rules of war, British troops would never be given clearance to carry out attacks similar to those being conducted by the US military, in which helicopter gunships have been used to fire on targets in urban areas. British rules of engagement only allow troops to open fire when attacked, using the minimum force necessary and only at identified targets. The American approach was markedly different: "When US troops are attacked with mortars in Baghdad, they use mortar-locating radar to find the firing point and then attack the general area with artillery, even though the area they are attacking may be in the middle of a densely populated residential area. "They may well kill the terrorists in the barrage but they will also kill and maim innocent civilians. That has been their response on a number of occasions. It is trite, but American troops do shoot first and ask questions later. They are very concerned about taking casualties and have even trained their guns on British troops, which has led to some confrontations between soldiers. "The British response in Iraq has been much softer. During and after the war the British set about trying to win the confidence of the local population. There have been problems, it hasn't been easy but on the whole it was succeeding." The officer believed that America had now lost the military initiative in Iraq, and it could only be regained with carefully planned, precision attacks against the "terrorists". "The US will have to abandon the sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut approach - it has failed," he said. "They need to stop viewing every Iraqi, every Arab as the enemy and attempt to win the hearts and minds of the people. "Our objective is to create a stable, democratic and safe Iraq. That's achievable but not in the short term. It is going to take up to 10 years." ----------------------------------------------- 2) Mondo Washington by James Ridgeway Shock and Disgust British officials blast U.S. for its 'HAM-fisted overkill' in Iraq April 13th, 2004 9:45 PM ".. They may well kill the terrorists in the barrage, but they will also kill and maim innocent civilians. That has been their response on a number of occasions. It is trite, but American troops do shoot first and ask questions later. They are very concerned about taking casualties and have even trained their guns on British troops, which has led to some confrontations between soldiers...." ---------- As Tony Blair flies into Washington for talks with Bush later this week, he faces criticism from Margaret Thatcher's former foreign secretary and senior British commanders on the ground who are rebelling against U.S. tactics in Fallujah and elsewhere. Douglas Hurd, foreign secretary for both Thatcher and John Major, told the BBC, "You really don't win hearts and minds by filling hospitals and mortuaries," arguing that the U.S. must turn over power to those with real influence in Iraq, not just a group that "curried favor" with the Pentagon. Robin Cook, who resigned from Blair's government when it went to war, wrote in the Sunday Mirror that American policy in Iraq amounted to "ham-fisted overkill." He said, "If the White House had wanted to help the terrorists find more recruits and funds they could not have hit upon a better way to do it." Meanwhile, British commanders on the ground in Iraq are condemning U.S. tactics as heavy-handed and saying they unnecessarily kill innocent civilians. One senior British officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Telegraph over the weekend that America's aggressive tactics were causing friction among coalition commanders. Speaking from his base in southern Iraq, this officer even invoked Hitler's term for Jewish, Slavic, and Gypsy "subhumans." "My view and the view of the British chain of command," said the officer, "is that the Americans' use of violence is not proportionate and is over-responsive to the threat they are facing. They don't see the Iraqi people the way we see them. They view them as untermenschen. "They are not concerned about the Iraqi loss of life in the way the British are. Their attitude toward the Iraqis is tragic, it's awful. The U.S. troops view things in very simplistic terms. It seems hard for them to reconcile subtleties between who supports what and who doesn't in Iraq. It's easier for their soldiers to group all Iraqis as the bad guys. As far as they are concerned, Iraq is bandit country and everybody is out to kill them." Under British rules of engagement, troops would never be given authority to conduct attacks similar to the ones the U.S. carried out in Fallujah and elsewhere last week. The British military orders troops to open fire only when attacked, using minimum force and striking at specific targets. "When U.S. troops are attacked with mortars in Baghdad," the officer said, "they use mortar-locating radar to find the firing point and then attack the general area with artillery, even though the area they are attacking may be in the middle of a densely populated residential area. "They may well kill the terrorists in the barrage, but they will also kill and maim innocent civilians. That has been their response on a number of occasions. It is trite, but American troops do shoot first and ask questions later. They are very concerned about taking casualties and have even trained their guns on British troops, which has led to some confrontations between soldiers." --------------------- - BACK TO INDEX - REPLY - QUOTE - EDIT - DELETE -

The full topic: US troops view Iraqis as untermenschen Andreas - Sunday, May 2 2004, 21:30:47 (CEST) Re: US troops view Iraqis as untermenschen parhad - 05/02 21:44

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