Mass Grave with Up to 1,500 Bodies Found in Iraq

[Nodbugger]

NEAR SAMAWA, Iraq (Reuters) - Investigators have uncovered a mass grave in southern Iraq containing as many as 1,500 bodies, most of them thought to be Kurds forcibly removed from their homes in the late 1980s.

Most of the victims were women and children who were apparently lined up in front of the pits and shot with AK-47 assault rifles, according to a U.S. investigator


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8351543&src=rss/worldNews

[Hippy Vindalou]

Moved here instead of front page so it doesnt get lost in a few days time.

That was obviously the inspiration for this little effort.......
Afghan Massacre: Convoy of Death
A NEW DOCUMENTARY FOR WTTW "Afghan Massacre: Convoy of Death" dir. Jamie Doran,
Atlantic Celtic Films 55 min. U.S. release: Feb. 2003
Spoke to Jamie last night. He will soon tour with the film. U.S. format copies are available to purchase for the first time this week. Doran said to me that two witnesses in the film have been killed. He has personally assisted 6 witnesses in the film to leave Afghanistan, two of them with help from the UN as well. The desert burial and massacre site has been secured, finally, by the UN for the purpose of protecting forensic evidence.
WIRE STORY: HD UPDATE 1-U.S. soldiers watched massacre of Taliban-filmmaker. BY By Erik Kirschbaum WC 738 words PD 18 December 2002 ET 05:08 pm SN Reuters News SC LBA LA English CY (c) 2002 Reuters Limited LP
BERLIN, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Scottish filmmaker Jamie Doran said on Wednesday he hoped his documentary about an alleged massacre of Taliban prisoners of war last year would lead U.S. authorities to investigate any involvement of American soldiers.
In his film "Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death", which was broadcast on Germany's ARD television network, Doran quotes witnesses who saw U.S. special forces stand by and watch as Northern Alliance allies murdered Taliban POWs.
A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Berlin rejected claims made in the film. "The claims are completely false that American soldiers were involved in the torture, execution and disappearance of Taliban prisoners," the spokesman said. "In no way did U.S. troops participate or witness any human rights violations." Doran, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who covered the Afghan war for Japanese television, said in an interview with Reuters in Berlin up to 3,000 Taliban POWs were killed late last year after surrendering at Kunduz in northern Afghanistan.
"This film is about the disappearance and murder of up to 3,000 Taliban POWs and the involvement of the U.S. special forces in that disappearance," Doran said after members of the German parliament invited him to discuss the alleged massacre.
"U.S. SOLDIERS STOOD BY" Doran, 46, said witnesses from different ethnic groups in Afghanistan told him during his investigation into the suspected war crimes they saw Taliban POWs herded into unventilated shipping containers, where many died of suffocation, thirst, or starvation. In the film broadcast on Wednesday, eyewitnesses are quoted saying some of the Taliban held in the containers for up to four days had taken to licking sweat off each other and even biting into the corpses lying next to them out of desperation.
One witness said about 600 Taliban POWs who survived the shipment of the containers to the Shiberghan prison 120 km (75 miles) away were taken to a spot in the desert at Dasht-e-Leili and executed - in the presence of about 30 to 40 U.S. special forces soldiers. "All the injured and sick were transferred to my truck," said one eyewitness identified as a truck driver but whose face was concealed in the film. "Some were injured, some were unconscious. They were shot here and here and here," he added, pointing to spots in the desert.
The truck driver, who said he made four trips with about 150 Taliban in a container on the back of his truck, was asked if American soldiers were present at the executions in the desert.
"Yes, they were here," he said, standing in the centre of a 1,000 square metre (10,760 sq ft) mass grave site where bones, army uniform fragments and bullet casings were filmed. "Lots of them, maybe 30 to 40. The first two trips they were here. I didn't see them on my last two trips."
Doran's 55-minute film also includes allegations from witnesses who say they saw U.S. soldiers taking part in the torture of Taliban POWs at the Shiberghan prison.
Doran said he spent six weeks trying unsuccessfully to obtain comment from the Pentagon in Washington for his film. "I would like to see the American authorities agree to a proper investigation," he said. "They have nothing to fear from the truth. I have the feeling they hope the story will go away. "We establish beyond a reasonable doubt that U.S. soldiers stood by and did nothing to prevent it (the massacre)," he added. "I have absolutely no evidence that American troops were involved in the shooting that took place in the desert."
Afghan General Abdul Rashid Dostum has rejected reports his troops killed up to 1,000 Taliban fighters by taking them to Shiberghan prison in the airless containers. He said up to 200 died, but they were already badly injured from fighting. Dostum was a key U.S. ally in late 2001 when he helped oust the Taliban from northern Afghanistan with the help of U.S. air attacks. U.S. special forces are still in the north working with leaders to hunt Taliban and al Qaeda members.
Doran said his documentary was screened on commercial and public networks in Britain, Australia and Italy. Rights have been sold or are about to sold to networks in 25 territories.
2003 Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive LLC (trading as Factiva). All rights reserved.

I saw this on ABC when it came out and it made me sick to my guts. (http://www.laborbeat.org/3/030317.txt)


Produced and directed by Irish filmmaker and former BBC producer Jamie Doran, the film tells the story of thousands of prisoners who surrendered to the US military’s Afghan allies after the siege of Kunduz. According to the film, some three thousand of the prisoners were forced into sealed containers and loaded onto trucks for transport to Sheberghan prison. When the prisoners began shouting for air, U.S.-allied Afghan soldiers fired directly into the truck, killing many of them. The rest suffered through an appalling road trip lasting up to four days, so thirsty they clawed at the skin of their fellow prisoners as they licked perspiration and even drank blood from open wounds. Witnesses say that when the trucks arrived and soldiers opened the containers, most of the people inside were dead. They also say US Special Forces re-directed the containers carrying the living and dead into the desert and stood by as survivors were shot and buried. Now, up to three thousand bodies lie buried in a mass grave.

FOAD U POS (http://www.democracynow.org/afghanfilm.shtml)

PRAISE GOD YOU WENT TO SAVE THEM FROM SUCH ATROCITIES! (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm)

When I wake up, in the morning light, I put on my jeans and I feel alright, I put my old blue jeans on, I put my old blue jeans on. (http://www.google.com/search?q=Afghan+Massacre:+the+Convoy+of+Death&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

[s3raph]

Saddam clearly didn't get enough love from his parents.

[Kez]

Or his dad gave him to much loving.

[Nodbugger]

Moved here instead of front page so it doesnt get lost in a few days time.

That was obviously the inspiration for this little effort.......





FOAD U POS (http://www.democracynow.org/afghanfilm.shtml)

PRAISE GOD YOU WENT TO SAVE THEM FROM SUCH ATROCITIES! (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm)

When I wake up, in the morning light, I put on my jeans and I feel alright, I put my old blue jeans on, I put my old blue jeans on. (http://www.google.com/search?q=Afghan+Massacre:+the+Convoy+of+Death&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)


Do you seriously believe this crap? If 3,000 people were killed I think they could easily find the bodies.

Besides, even if it did happen they were not POWs and they would not have been protected under any Geneva convention, especially since the people doing the shooting and the people getting shot were both in non-compliance with the Geneva conventions.

[Up_All_Night]

it all goes back to blame the british and how they carved the area against its cultural boundaries up into countries.

[Hippy Vindalou]

If 3,000 people were killed I think they could easily find the bodies.

Read it fool. Watch the film.
They found the bodies, but seeing as they kept on picking up more and more people from every town they passed through, using the old 'if your a male of certain age you are probably guilty' method and cramming them into the containers, they didnt find all the bodies or even know they names of all those they picked up.

....""All the injured and sick were transferred to my truck," said one eyewitness
identified as a truck driver but whose face was concealed in the film. "Some
were injured, some were unconscious. They were shot here and here and here,"
he added, pointing to spots in the desert....

The truck driver, who said he made four trips with about 150 Taliban in a
container on the back of his truck, was asked if American soldiers were
present at the executions in the desert.

"Yes, they were here," he said, standing in the centre of a 1,000 square
metre (10,760 sq ft) mass grave site where bones, army uniform fragments and
bullet casings were filmed...

....The desert burial and massacre site has been
secured, finally, by the UN for the purpose of protecting forensic
evidence.....

Besides, even if it did happen they were not POWs and they would not have been protected under any Geneva convention, especially since the people doing the shooting and the people getting shot were both in non-compliance with the Geneva conventions.

So you are saying they were not prisoners of war being taken to a POW camp after being captured by the US installed puppet government with the help of the US military and that neither the US or the people they put in power after invading a country are compliant with the Geneva convention?

....One witness said about 600 Taliban POWs who survived the shipment of the .....

...It tells the story of thousands of prisoners who surrendered to the US military’s Afghan allies after the siege of Kunduz ...

...Doran quotes witnesses who saw U.S.
special forces stand by and watch as Northern Alliance allies murdered
Taliban POWs....

...Doran's 55-minute film also includes allegations from witnesses who say they
saw U.S. soldiers taking part in the torture of Taliban POWs at the
Shiberghan prison....

Why wouldnt I believe it? The film gave plenty of evidence to convince me and a lot of other people as well that it happened.
This guy went to the sites, went to the prison, interviewed people who were involved and who saw the shipping containers stop in thier town riddled with bullet holes leaking blood, smelt the stench and heard the cries of people inside. It was pretty damn convincing.
Until its proven otherwise I will continue to believe it and no amount of smartarse 18yo's who think they know it all cause they had a daddy in the army will change my mind.

[Nodbugger]

Read it fool. Watch the film.
They found the bodies, but seeing as they kept on picking up more and more people from every town they passed through, using the old 'if your a male of certain age you are probably guilty' method and cramming them into the containers, they didnt find all the bodies or even know they names of all those they picked up.





So you are saying they were not prisoners of war being taken to a POW camp after being captured by the US installed puppet government with the help of the US military and that neither the US or the people they put in power after invading a country are compliant with the Geneva convention?



Why wouldnt I believe it? The film gave plenty of evidence to convince me and a lot of other people as well that it happened.
This guy went to the sites, went to the prison, interviewed people who were involved and who saw the shipping containers stop in thier town riddled with bullet holes leaking blood, smelt the stench and heard the cries of people inside. It was pretty damn convincing.
Until its proven otherwise I will continue to believe it and no amount of smartarse 18yo's who think they know it all cause they had a daddy in the army will change my mind.


For one, if they found bones they are not from the last war. Do you remember that little scuttle between Soviet Union and Afghanistan? Where 1.8 million where killed? I'm sure there has got to be remnants of those mass graves around.


Enough with the puppet government, they were elected you jackass.

And no, learn to read. At that time there was no Government in Afghanistan. There was the Northern Alliance, which in itself was close to a violation. But since they were not what I would call Afghanistan military they had no rules to follow. The Taliban and Al-Queda people where the same. Except they where in utter violation of the Geneva convention rules for pow status. So since neither parties involved(the US wasn't) had done anything with the Geneva conventions, there is nothing to worry about.

But is is quite obviously fake. It is just some nut trying to make American look bad, and a testimony from a truck driver.
Man, you people are retarded for even believing a second if it, they only reason you believe it is because you hate America and are Jealous.

[StAUG]

they only reason you believe it is because you hate America and are Jealous.

It's comments like this that make me question if you even really exist.

[Drakin]

But is is quite obviously fake. It is just some nut trying to make American look bad, and a testimony from a truck driver.
Man, you people are retarded for even believing a second if it, they only reason you believe it is because you hate America and are Jealous.

<wipes tear>...
You make me laugh boy.

[Kez]

Do you seriously believe this crap? If 3,000 people were killed I think they could easily find the bodies.

Besides, even if it did happen they were not POWs and they would not have been protected under any Geneva convention, especially since the people doing the shooting and the people getting shot were both in non-compliance with the Geneva conventions.

Like the 10000 that were killed and made into mass graves in bosnia? God you're a tit

[Nodbugger]

Like the 10000 that were killed and made into mass graves in bosnia? God you're a tit


Except in Iraq it is more like 10,000,000. In Bosnia they just didn't bother to bury them.