They were invited to lunch. They probably thought that they were doing important work winning Iraqi hearts and minds. The politically correct ethos that prevails in official Washington, and in all too much of the military establishment, prevented them from being sufficiently aware of the fact that no Islamic group worldwide has declared the jihad doctrine or Islamic supremacism to be un-Islamic, and so there is no reliable way to distinguish a peaceful Muslim from an actual or potential jihadist.
“US soldiers hurt in Iraq attack,” from the BBC, February 24 (thanks to John):
At least three US soldiers have been wounded and an Iraqi interpreter has been killed after coming under fire from police in Iraq.
The shooting took place at 1500 (1200 GMT) at a checkpoint under a bridge in the northern city of Mosul.
Two policemen opened fire before fleeing the scene in a waiting car.
The US military says the wounded soldiers have been taken to hospital and an investigation is under way. A second interpreter was also injured….
A police intelligence source the Americans were invited to lunch with Iraqi police at a checkpoint under a bridge, reports the BBC’s Mike Sergeant in Baghdad.
He says when the soldiers arrived, the two policemen – a corporal and a private – opened fire on them, before making their escape.
Our correspondent says the shooting is not the first such incident, but it is the most serious of its kind for some time….