Thursday, January 20, 2005

Just another "unfortunate incident" in your name.

US soldiers in Iraq approach a car after opening fire when it failed to stop at a checkpoint. Despite warning shots it continued to drive towards their dusk patrol in Tal Afar on 18 January.
Chris Hondros a photographer with Getty News was on hand to record these pictures.



Inside the car were an Iraqi family of seven. The mother and father were killed but their five children in the backseat survived, one with a non-life threatening wound.



As the children get out of the car one of them screams, her hands covered in blood...



…others cry or just stand bewildered.



The injured child is given first-aid by a US soldier...



...as is his sister...



...before being taken to a local hospital...



...with the rest of his family.
A soldier carries one of the children into the hospital while an older sister carries her brother.




Doctors rush the children inside to ensure no-one else is wounded.



At the checkpoint a US soldier examines the car.
A US military statement said troops trying to stop the car used hand signals and fired warning shots before firing directly at the car, killing the driver and front seat passenger.

(Note: Driver's face obscured)




The statement also said that military officials extended their condolences for this "unfortunate incident" and were investigating


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