The commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq said today that an American helicopter crew intentionally dislodged a Shiite Muslim banner from a tower in the capital's Sadr City district two weeks ago, an incident that sparked violent protests in which U.S. troops killed an Iraqi boy.
In an abrupt reversal of denials issued at the time, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said that as a result of a U.S. military investigation, "I think the aircraft was getting close enough to that tower in order to blow the flag down."
Sanchez did not say why the helicopter crewmen might have wanted to knock down the black banner, which was inscribed in white letters with the name of one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures. He said that the soldiers faced punishment and that results of the investigation could be released as early as next week.
Sanchez also told reporters that establishing security in Iraq depended not on bringing more ground troops into the country but on gathering better intelligence and training more Iraqis in civil defense. As the Bush administration explores the possibility of a multinational military force under U.N. sponsorship, he said, "we'd welcome anyone who wants to come."
Meanwhile, attacks on U.S. and British forces continued.
In Fallujah, about 35 miles west of Baghdad, four American soldiers were injured by an explosive planted under a bridge, the Reuters news agency reported. When U.S. forces sealed off part of the town after the attack, hundreds of residents took to the streets, chanting slogans that praised former president Saddam Hussein and denounced President Bush.
In southern Iraq, British military officials said a soldier died after coming under fire on Wednesday in Basra.
The Aug. 13 flag incident angered religious leaders in Sadr City, who contended that the American crew had defiled a religious symbol.
At the time, the U.S. military dismissed the idea that the flag was removed deliberately and said gusts from the low-flying helicopter had knocked it down accidentally. Although the military immediately issued an apology and promised to reduce its presence in Sadr City, any suggestion that the act was intentional was "totally bogus, totally untrue," Staff Sgt. J.J. Johnson, a military spokesman, said then.
Today, however, Sanchez said the military investigation revealed that "some of my soldiers in fact exercised poor judgment in this matter."
"The poor judgment that was exercised was twofold," Sanchez said. "One was in the . . . aircraft's proximity to the tower. There were some unsafe acts that occurred there. And the second one was in the leadership judgment that was being exercised by soldiers on that aircraft."
Sadr City residents said tonight that they felt vindicated by the admission. "Yes, I know they did it deliberately, for sure," said Ayad Abdul Kadhem, 34, an unemployed army veteran. "They wanted to attack Shia and all of Islam."
Sheik Hadi Darraji, 32, a leading neighborhood cleric, said he had seen fewer U.S. forces since the episode. When he learned that Sanchez had said the flag was dislodged intentionally, Darraji renewed his call for U.S. forces to withdraw completely from Sadr City "before we fight them and force them to leave."
Concerning security in Iraq, Sanchez said the number of ground troops in Iraq was adequate for the task. More important, he said, is the intelligence gathered about the enemies they face. "Putting more soldiers on the ground is not going to solve the problem when I don't have the intelligence to act on it," Sanchez said.
Because occupation forces rely heavily on local sources for their information, he said, it is critical to work with Iraqis "and have the Iraqi people help us."