STOP USE OF WAR PLANES FIRING MISSILES IN DENSELY POPULATED AREAS IN IRAQ

Ernesto Londono and Amit Paley report in today's The Washington Post that the U.S. military in Iraq is using more air strikes to kill insurgents in densely populated areas. This means that innocent civilians including women and children are being caught up in the fighting and are being killed indiscriminately.

Write Londono and Paley:

"In recent weeks, Katzenberger and other pilots have dramatically increased their use of helicopter-fired missiles against enemy fighters, often in densely populated areas. Since late March, the military has fired more than 200 Hellfire missiles in the capital, compared with just six missiles fired in the previous three months.

"The military says the tactic has saved the lives of ground troops and prevented attacks, but the strikes have also killed and wounded civilians, provoking criticism from Iraqis.

"On Wednesday, eight people, including two children, were killed when a U.S. helicopter opened fire on a group of Iraqis traveling to a U.S. detention center to greet a man who was being released from custody, Iraqi officials said."

This is what Bush has caused with his War in Iraq - the deaths of innocent Iraqis who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Furthermore, Bush has caused the pilots of these U.S. war planes and helicopters to be in a position where they think that they are doing a service for their country when they pull the trigger that launches the rockets and missiles that incinerate their Iraqi targets.

Londono and Paley write:

"Those civilians include people like Zahara Fadhil, a 10-year-old girl with a tiny frame and long brown hair. Relatives said she was wounded by a missile on April 20 at approximately 8 p.m. in Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City. The U.S. military said it fired a Hellfire missile in Zahara's neighborhood at that time, targeting men who were seen loading rockets into a sedan.

"Her face drained of color and her legs scarred by shrapnel, Zahara spoke haltingly when asked what she thought of U.S. troops.

"They kill people," she said. Lying in bed, she gasped for air before continuing. "They should leave Iraq now."