The original story was some crazed sect of Arabian Ninjas was out to
kill the clerics at Najaf. The truth is, this may be the biggest
massacre in years.
Pilgrims Going To
Najaf
A procession of 200
pilgrims was on its way to Najaf, on foot. Heading the procession
was the chief of the tribe, Hajj Sa'ad Sa'ad Nayif al-Hatemi, and
his wife driving in their 1982 Super Toyota sedan.
The Iraqis at the
checkpoint shot the chief, and his wife.
Tribe Fires Back
After the Iraqi soldiers killed the chief, his tribe fought back.
Villagers From Zarqa Tried To Negotiate
Members of another
tribe called Khaza'il living in Zarga tried to stop the
fighting, but they themselves came under fire. Meanwhile, the
soldiers and police at the checkpoint called up their commanders
saying they were under attack from al-Qai'da
with advanced weapons. Reinforcements poured into the area and
surrounded the
Hawatim tribe in
the nearby orchards. The tribesmen tried - in vain - to get
their attackers to cease fire.
Iraqis Call Up US Army
The pilgrims run into the local fields, and US air power
devastates them. The
Americans used F-16s.
The Mysterious Helicopter Crash
It's extremely doubtful that a bunch of pilgrims had the
capabilities to bring
down a Cobra Gunship.
This Sect Had A Clash With Baghdad
The Hawatim tribe was creating a problem by opposing the
Shiite control in Baghdad.
You just don't slaughter 350 men, women, and children, plus wound
another 200, by accident. You literally had a group of 600 pilgrims
being massacred in a field.
