Some observers feel a house of worship belonging to any religion is sacrosanct, and should not be targeted by a military attack under any circumstances.
Others argue that if a mosque is used to house weapons, it loses its sanctity.
Apparently the U.S. army sides with the latter opinion.
In 2004, in Fallouja, Iraq, U.S. forces were engaged in gunfire exchanges with Sunni Muslim insurgents, who had been using the mosque as a launch pad for attacks.
Following sniper fire from the rooftop of the mosque, the U.S. Marines called in a Cobra helicopter, which then shot a Hellfire missile at the complex, hitting a
perimeter wall. An F-16, also brought in to assist the ground troops, then dropped a laser-guided bomb at the base of
the building.
Marines said the decision
to call in airpower was made after discovering insurgents had hidden
weapons and fighters in the back of an ambulance. Sounds familiar.
"It was no longer
a house of worship," Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne told The Los Angeles Times. "It was a military target. We had to protect our Marines."
I wonder what type of reaction we would see in the world press if an IDF spokesman were to issue a remark like that.
Hamas use of mosques for military purposes has been documented for years. As for as I am aware, the U.N. has yet to state any objections.
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