Officials Say Iraqi Soldier Killed 2 U.S. Soldiers

[Gunny]

By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and STEPHEN FARRELL
New York Times
Published: January 6, 2008

BAGHDAD — Two American soldiers killed last month during an operation in the northern city of Mosul appear to have been deliberately shot to death by an Iraqi soldier on patrol with them, senior Iraqi officers said on Saturday.

The killings occurred Dec. 26 as a joint American-Iraqi patrol was setting up a combat outpost in a dangerous neighborhood of western Mosul. Gunmen hiding in a building and in a car opened fire on the patrol, the senior Iraqi officers said. During the brief firefight, one of the Iraqi soldiers turned his weapon on unsuspecting Americans, they said.

The Iraqi soldier is suspected of killing Capt. Rowdy J. Inman and Sgt. Benjamin B. Portell, and wounding three other American soldiers and one civilian interpreter, according to American military officials. No Iraqi soldiers were killed or wounded, according to one Iraqi commander.

The Iraqi soldier tried to flee, but he was apprehended after being identified by other Iraqi soldiers, American military officials said. Another Iraqi soldier has also been detained in connection with the shootings, the military said, suggesting that there might have been at least one accomplice.

The soldier who shot the Americans was tied to the insurgency, said Brig. Gen. Mutaa Habib al-Khazraji, a commander in the Iraqi Army’s Second Division in Mosul. During the firefight, he “seized the opportunity” and fired on the American soldiers, killing two of them, the general said in a telephone interview on Saturday, adding that the Iraqi “was an infiltrator.”

more ... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/w...dd08d243c2420b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

One can only imagine how many more of these nutcases are awaiting the right moment to strike. This is a f*cked up way to die.

 

[Warner]

One can only imagine how many more of these nutcases are awaiting the right moment to strike. This is a f*cked up way to die.

This is always a concern when using local guides or security. It is very hard to be sure they are not actually the enemy in disguise. Personally I won't work with locals unless we know where their relatives live, and even then we watch our backs every second. The giveaway is to violate their recommendations and see how they react. If they are too insistent about taking a particular path at a particular time it's likely a trap.

 

[Gunny]

This is always a concern when using local guides or security. It is very hard to be sure they are not actually the enemy in disguise. Personally I won't work with locals unless we know where their relatives live, and even then we watch our backs every second. The giveaway is to violate their recommendations and see how they react. If they are too insistent about taking a particular path at a particular time it's likely a trap.

Sounds pretty common sense to me. I guess you never really do know who belongs to what group after working hours.