BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A British military helicopter crashed in Basra on Saturday, and Iraqis hurled stones at British troops and set fire to three armored vehicles that rushed to the scene. Clashes broke out between British troops and Shiite militias, police and witnesses said.
Police Capt. Mushtaq Khazim said the helicopter was apparently shot down in a residential district. He said the four-member crew was killed, but British officials would say only that there were ''casualties.''
British forces backed by armored vehicles rushed to the area but were met by a hail of stones from the crowd of at least 250 people, who jumped for joy and raised their fists as a plume of thick smoke rose into the air from the crash site.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Winning Hearts and Minds
From today's NY Times with my emphasis:
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Just before the war started my father and I were having dinner with a long-time family friend. The subject of the impending war was the main topic of the evening. Both my father and my friend were very concerned, my father having lived in Saudi Arabia for 15 years and my friend being Lebanese. Their thought was that Americans would eventually be viewed one of two ways by the Iraqi people. The first option was as Crusaders attempting to convert a Muslim land, which my father and friend considered the most unlikely of the two. The second option was as invaders and occupiers trying to force their view of democracy on the Iraqi people. Sadly, it has happened. The Iraqi people hate us and want us to leave them alone and who can blame them? We've triggered a civil war in their homeland and many of them, even those who initially supported the American response now hate Americans. I'm not surprised that they shot down an American helicopter and threw stones at the soldiers attempting to rescue the helicopter crew. I'm only surprise that it didn't happen sooner.
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