Alan,
Thanks for that post, if you visit www.globalecho.org you can see the
essay by Ms Ruzicka in full as well as an rather interesting obit.
kind regards
Antony
> http://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/04200000aaa05913.upi&Sys=siteia&Fid=FRONTPAG&Type=News&Filter=Front%20Page
>
>
> WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- The late humanitarian aid worker Marla
> Ruzicka has dispelled previous claims the U.S. Army does not keep track of
> the number of Iraqi civilians killed.
>
> In an essay she wrote for the Asia division of Human Rights Watch before
> she was killed by a suicide car bomber last weekend, Ruzicka refuted a
> statement by Tommy Franks, the former head of U.S. Central Command, who
> said the U.S. army "don't do body counts," The Independent reported
> Wednesday.
>
> Ruzicka, 28, reported a brigadier general told her it was "standard
> operating procedure" for U.S. troops to file a report when they shoot a
> non-combatant, in line with requirements of the Geneva Convention.
>
> For example, she found 29 civilians had been killed in Baghdad in
> firefights with U.S. forces Feb. 28 and April 5.
>
> "These statistics demonstrate that the U.S. military can and does track
> civilian casualties," Ruzicka wrote. "Troops on the ground keep these
> records because they recognize they have a responsibility to review each
> action taken and that it is in their interest to minimize mistakes,
> especially since winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis is a key component
> of their strategy."
>
>
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