IRAQ WAR: Civilian casualties - one incident

Stanley Payne confirms George Sassoon's suspicion about the incident in which US Marines killed a carload of women and children in a car which did not stop at a checkpoint: "Regarding the incident of the slain civilians, I am surprised that others (in the media, as well) have not reported or commented on the interview on Fox Tuesday night with a Shiite mullah in liberated Iraq who reported that the driver and passengers had been forced to undertake a suicide mission by the Saddamists, who had arrested many of their relatives and threatened to kill all of them if the mission was not carried out. It sounds as though George Sassoon was right on target". RH: I suppose such incidents will be investigated in postwar trials.

Ronald Hilton - 4/3/03