(New York Times) Isabel Kershner - Testifying before an Israeli commission of inquiry, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli Army chief of staff, said Wednesday that activists on a Turkish ship were the first to open fire as Israeli naval commandos raided the vessel. The soldiers who rappelled onto the ship from a helicopter one by one were immediately set upon by the activists, some wielding axes, knives, iron bars and clubs, he said. The second soldier who fast-roped onto the roof of the Mavi Marmara was shot in the abdomen and fired back, and that it was "clear and established" that flotilla participants opened fire first. The military said it found ammunition, cartridges and bullets that were not from the Israeli Army.
2010-08-12 08:30:14Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive