Friday, August 04, 2006

Haditha, My Lai, Balagiga alike…



by Rolando O. Borrinaga

What is known that a bomb rocked a military convoy and left one Marines dead that lead the slaughter of unarmed civilians in Haditha, 220km northwest of Baghdad, are the same account where the American occupying force brutally murdered an innocent people of My Lai, likewise in Balagiga.

The reported cold blooded shooting came to light in Time magazine report cited an Iraqi human rights groups and Haditha residence.

The report said that after the bomb struck an occupying force vehicle, the Marines then shot civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot children’s and women’s inside. However the Marines claim that the civilians were victims of roadside bombs.

Evidence unearthed from the investigation were death certificate that showed all the Iraqi victims had gunshot wounds, mostly to the head and chest

Many analysts have compared the Haditha incident to March 16, 1968, My Lai massacre and 1901 in Balagiga, although the Vietnam and Balagiga killings were on a far larger scale. Hundred of unarmed civilians were shot to death by US unit lead by former army lieutenant William Calley jr. in My Lai Vietnam and Major Littleton Waller in Balagiga Philippines.

But contrary to the to the Balagiga story, no Filipino bodies were burned, and no Filipinos were executed. But General “Jake” Smith ordered Major Littleton Waller to punish the people of Samar for the deaths of the American troops who were massacred by the Balagiga terrorist. Smith said, “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn, the more you kill and burn, the better you will please me.”

Due to the public demand in the U.S. for retaliation, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the pacification of Samar. And in six months, General “Jake” Smith transformed Balangiga into a “howling wilderness.” He ordered his men to kill anybody capable of carrying arms, including ten-year-old boys and the occupying American force steal and brought the Balagiga church bell into US soil as their tribute of the Balagiga terrorist who killed the occupying American force.

In My Lai the death toll of the reported massacre are more 500 and Lt Calley was sentence to life imprisonment, but then President Richard Nixon reduce his sentence to three year of house arrest and this might happen to the accused in Haditha. Amen.

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