US feels road rage, Baghdad-style

BAGHDAD - It does not take much to ignite anti-American anger in Iraq - a car accident with the US military is enough to deepen suspicions over the occupation.

When a five-tonne US military truck called Cowboy Up crushed a civilian car on a crowded highway and killed two passengers yesterday, furious Iraqis immediately assumed the worst.

"Those Americans meant to kill those poor people. They do these kinds of things," said engineer Ahmed Hussein, standing in a large crowd of Iraqis.

The commanding US officer on the scene said the mangled white car that was sliced in half swerved into the truck's lane as a convoy passed.

Iraqi witnesses driving on the other side of the highway said the American vehicle crashed into the car at high speed and made no attempt to stop or slow down.

Whatever the case, the anti-American fury was obvious in the eyes of Iraqis who moved closer to the car until an American soldier clutching his automatic weapon told them to "get the **** back".

The tension among US soldiers is palpable. Since the March invasion, 375 US soldiers have been killed in action in Iraq. A guerrilla attack is always a possibility.

US Army investigators arrived on the scene and took pictures of the corpses, which soldiers had covered with a rug and a cloth. Iraqis tried to see the faces of the dead because they had driven on to the highway from the neighbourhood.


An investigation by the military seemed like stalling to frustrated Iraqis, who could not understand why the Americans had ignored their requests for the identity cards of the deceased so their relatives could be notified.

It is the kind of misunderstanding that has fuelled deep mistrust of US troops since they toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in April and promised to deliver freedom and security.

A language barrier between occupiers and occupied only deepens misunderstanding and suspicion.

"Iraqi life is cheap to the Americans in this occupation," said Jalal Shifee, an engineer. "Why didn't they try to stop? They kill Iraqis, and then when people shoot at them they are branded terrorists."

He paused between sentences as an American soldier holding a pistol called the crowd "stupid" and threatened to arrest people who stepped off a footpath to get closer to the scene.

"I stand here looking at the corpses of fellow Iraqis and Muslims and I wonder why these occupiers could not just let the car pass? Why? They are the occupiers so why should we stop for US convoys," said Jalal Shifee.


As US soldiers secured the perimeter, people from the surrounding al-Adl neighbourhood drove by and looked in horror at the bodies as investigators inspected their faces.

"We told the Americans they were still alive right after the accident. But they didn't call for an ambulance," said Thamir, a teenager.

The Americans say the victims were already dead when they were pulled out of the wreckage.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq