Looters humiliated

[DanishDynamite]

I just read the article below. It describes how a group of Norwegian reporters came upon a rather bizarre method of maintaining law and order in Bagdad. American troops had ordered three suspected looters to strip naked, whereupon the clothes were burned and the words "Ali Baba, Haram" (thief) were written on the chests of the offenders. They were then released to run naked through the streets.

I wonder if this has been reported in the US media.

The links below are in Danish and Norwegian, but you can see the pictures taken from the incident.

Article in the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet (http://ekstrabladet.dk/VisArtikel.iasp?PageID=202047)

Article in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet (http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2003/04/25/367175.html)

[Skeptical Greg]

Interesting, but I would be curious about more detail and who all was involved.

My skeptic meter goes up regarding American infantrymen who can write in Arabic ( or it's variant in Iraq )..

Not that there are not any such people in the U.S. armed forces, but that they would be involved in general street operations.

A nice day for a walk in the park:

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2003/04/25/DF_6kz26k8z.jpg




I think we should loot that Brooks Brothers store over there....

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2003/04/25/DF_6kz26k9w.jpg




How long before this ink washes off? My mom still gives me baths.


http://gfx.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2003/04/25/DF_6kz26k9y.jpg

[DanishDynamite]

Originally posted by Diogenes
Interesting, but I would be curious about more detail and who all was involved.

My skeptic meter goes up regarding American infantrymen who can write in Arabic ( or it's variant in Iraq )..

Not that there are not any such people in the U.S. armed forces, but that they would be involved in general street operations. Well, according to the articles, lieutenant Eric Canaday was in charge of guarding the Zawra park in Bagdad, where there apparently are a lot of weapons stored. Canaday said that the method had been suggested to him by some Iraqi citizens. Perhaps they showed him how to write "thief" in Arabic.

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by DanishDynamite
Well, according to the articles, lieutenant Eric Canaday was in charge of guarding the Zawra park in Bagdad, where there apparently are a lot of weapons stored. Canaday said that the method had been suggested to him by some Iraqi citizens. Perhaps they showed him how to write "thief" in Arabic.

Just what I was looking for.. Thanks..

Is this late breaking? Seems like the kind of thing the U.S. media would be all over...

[Richard G]

They're getting off easy. They should be shot.

[DanishDynamite]

Originally posted by Richard G
They're getting off easy. They should be shot. Luckily, the US military is run by clearer minds than yours.

According to the articles, US troops aren't allowed to shoot looters or even fire warning shots.

[HarryKeogh]

why would the media report this event more widely? they hardly mentioned the fact that some criminals in iraq were brutally tortured on a routine basis under saddam. walking naked in the streets is a cakewalk.

[DanishDynamite]

Originally posted by HarryKeogh
why would the media report this event more widely? they hardly mentioned the fact that some criminals in iraq were brutally tortured on a routine basis under saddam. walking naked in the streets is a cakewalk. It's news. An occupying force which uses public humiliation as a means of controlling the locals, seems worth mentioning.

[Smalso]

Sorta reminds me of good old-fashioned streaking. Since that fad ended, Monday Night Football has become so tame.

[Bjorn]

Originally posted by Richard G
They're getting off easy. They should be shot. ... and the American looters that were caught as they returned to the US? Do you suggest they should be shot at the spot or just forced to run around town naked? :rolleyes:

[HarryKeogh]

Originally posted by DanishDynamite
It's news. An occupying force which uses public humiliation as a means of controlling the locals, seems worth mentioning.

dude, c'mon. sarcasm!