Stressed Out U.S. Soldier Shoots Fellow Troops In Iraq

Stressed out US soldier shoots fellow troops in Iraq

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/...fellow-troops/

5/11/2009

A US Army soldier suspected of opening fire on fellow members of the military on Monday at an American base in Baghdad is in custody, US defense officials said.

The shooting at Camp Liberty in the Iraqi capital left five dead and three wounded, a defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski reported the assailant was described as a “stressed out” U.S. soldier.

“The military said in a statement that the shooting occurred about 2 p.m. Monday at Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport,” NBC News added.

Initially, “[t]he U.S. military statement did not give further details about the shooting or the identity of those killed at the sprawling base, Camp Liberty, next to Baghdad airport,” Reuters noted.

The Associated Press reports, “The toll was the highest for U.S. personnel in a single incident since April 10, when a suicide truck driver killed five American soldiers with a blast near a police headquarters in the northern city of Mosul.”

More from the AP:

One senior military official in Washington said it was not yet clear whether the shooter was among the dead. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the circumstances surrounding the deaths are under investigation.

Initial reports indicated the Army soldier shot several others, then turned the gun on himself. But it was unclear whether he, too, had died.
The BBC notes that Reuters quoted military spokesman Lt Tom Garnett as saying that “the shooter is a US soldier and he is in custody.”

Shootings reportedly happened at ’stress clinic’
The Associated Press has the latest:

The officials say the shootings happened on Camp Liberty at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or stress from personal issues.

One senior military official in Washington says it’s unclear whether those killed are workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. He says officials also are unsure whether all the dead are members of the military.

AFP also reports that a defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the shootings occurred at a stress clinic.

The attack occurred at a clinic for soldiers suffering from war-related stress, the official said.

“We are being told it took place at a stress clinic of some sort,” he said.

A statement issued by the US military in Baghdad confirmed the shooter had been detained but it was unclear if the soldier had tried to kill himself.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman called it a “very tragic event” and said the incident was under investigation.

Liberty is the American military’s largest base in Iraq.

Attacks by US soldiers on their colleagues are not uncommon in Iraq, and the last such report was on September 14 when US sergeant Joseph Bozicevich shot dead two of his superiors at a base south of Baghdad.

Bozicevich, 39, killed staff sergeant Darris Dawson 24, and sergeant Wesley Durbin 26, because he could not bear being berated by them, according to reports.

UPDATE: President Obama ’shocked’
“White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday the shooting at Camp Liberty was a ‘terrible tragedy’ and Obama plans to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates later in the day to discuss the matter,” reported the Associated Press.

“Gibbs says the president’s heart goes out to the victims’ families and wants to know what happened.”