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BigBadBrian
02-01-2006, 12:14 PM
U.S. Troops Fire at Canada Convoy in Iraq

By Associated Press

February 1, 2006, 2:59 AM EST


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. troops fired on a Canadian diplomatic convoy that failed to obey signals to stop in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, but there were no injuries, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

A spokeswoman at the Canadian Embassy in neighboring Jordan said four Canadian diplomats, including the charge d'affairs, were traveling in one of the vehicles.

"We are aware of this incident and the American and Canadian authorities are looking into it," said the spokeswoman, who declined to be named in keeping with embassy policy.

The shooting occurred when the troops tried to stop a convoy of cars approaching them in the Green Zone, the base of numerous foreign missions and the Iraqi government, said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson.

"But the convoy continued to approach and failed to stop, and the soldiers fired warning rounds at the front of the vehicles, resulting in no injuries," Johnson said.

The Canadian government does not have an embassy in Iraq, but is expected to open one later this year, said the spokeswoman from the Canadian Embassy in Amman, Jordan. Canadian diplomats regularly travel between Iraq and Jordan.

Johnson said an investigation was underway "to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."
Link (http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-us-canada,0,7949869.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines)

Warham
02-01-2006, 12:16 PM
Well, if you don't follow the rules, don't expect a pleasant outcome.

BigBadBrian
02-01-2006, 12:20 PM
Originally posted by Warham
Well, if you don't follow the rules, don't expect a pleasant outcome.

True, but I think they thought ANGEL was in the convoy.

:gun:

m_dixon1984
02-01-2006, 01:30 PM
Don't our pale blue peace berets mean anything? We wear them so everyone knows our guns have no bullets in them and our bombs come from the Nerf factory.
M

Angel
02-01-2006, 02:33 PM
Originally posted by Warham
Well, if you don't follow the rules, don't expect a pleasant outcome.

The eye witness version (ie: the diplomats) is quite different. I'll look for it and post it.

Angel
02-01-2006, 02:33 PM
Originally posted by BigBadBrian
True, but I think they thought ANGEL was in the convoy.

:gun:

Don't you know? DDLR is the OFFICIAL ANGEL Bashing site these days. ;)

Angel
02-01-2006, 02:37 PM
"Canadian consular official Michelle Cameron, who was travelling in the vehicle at the time of the incident, told a different story.

Cameron told CTV News that the Canadian convoy was keeping a good distance and that no one in her vehicle saw any hand signals from the Americans to indicate they were too close.

She also said the three shots fired were not a warning and that one of the bullets went right through the windshield and narrowly missed a passenger.

"How many warning shots go across a vehicle into the passenger compartment?," Cameron told CTV News.

Two different versions

CTV's Tom Clark, reporting from Washington, said there are "two completely different versions of events -- one from the Americans and one from the Canadian eyewitnesses."

Clark said the Canadians were travelling from the British residence to the Canadian residence -- "a trip they have made hundreds of times before."

"They were all trained on how to drive in the Green Zone," he told CTV Newsnet Wednesday.

"They (the Canadians) said that they stayed well back and were travelling slowly, and as they passed by the tail end of the (American) convoy ... the tail gunner pulled the trigger, ripped off three rounds." "

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060201/canada_iraq_060201/20060201?hub=CanadaAM