Who Got Shot?

By Cernig

A gunman has wounded a top U.S. military commander while he was touring the infamous Azamiyah wall. But as yet, no-one is saying which commander it was.

The AP reports:

A senior U.S. commander was wounded by small arms fire while inspecting a controversial security barrier being built by the military to separate a Sunni enclave from surrounding Shiite areas in northern Baghdad, the U.S. said Friday.

The attack occurred Thursday in Azamiyah, an area on the eastern side of the Tigris River whose residents have often been the victims of retaliatory mortar attacks by Shiite militants — often following bombings blamed on Sunnis.

The shooting was witnessed by an Associated Press Television cameraman.

A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, said the family has been notified. But he declined to release the officer's name.

It adds that "the officer was wounded while conducting a daytime site survey" of the controversial wall.

If the officer's family have been notified but the military still won't release the name - and have obviously prevailed upon the AP not to say who it was - then it has to be someone very senior indeed. Someone who is essential to U.S. morale and current U.S. operations. That's a short list - Petreaus or one of his dream team are the most likely victims. Certainly, having someone of that level killed next to the wall would be a major "perception" setback for the surge strategy.

I hope the oficer recovers O.K. No-one deserves to die for Bush's misadventure. No-one ever has.

Update 7th May It wasn't Petreaus who was shot, it seems. He appeared on a live newsfeed to the AP's annual meeting today, whole and hearty. I now think the most likely senior commander the story could be about is Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil Jr., the Multi-National Division - Baghdad commanding general. The Army spokesman mentioned in the piece was, at least until recently, attached to MND-B.

Update 2 I was wrong again. The wounded officer was Colonel Billy Don Farris, commander of the 2nd "Falcon" Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division and also coalition forces commander for Sadr City and Adhamiya neighborhoods. He is described as stable, thankfully.