From Gulf to Gulf

[Alan Hogue]

Quoting Elizabeth Brandt <Betsy.Brandt at ASU.EDU>:

> I don't think it is a routine occurrence and I don't know why it occurred.
> It may be that it was simply a shot heard and that gave them an excuse to
> pull out and stop the evacuation of the poor patients.

If I may jump in once more, I do not think that rescue workers were just
waiting for an excuse to leave poor hospital patients to die.

Unfortunately I can't find a transcript or recording of this on their site, but
a doctor was interviewed on NPR last week. As I recall he had accompanied a
convoy which was evacuating patients from a hospital -- perhaps it was the same
one. According to him, the convoy was fired upon as it returned for more
patients. National Guard troops fired back but were unsuccessful in killing or
capturing the assailant(s). I believe the doctor claimed to have seen at least
one of the attackers.

Later, while they were loading the convoy for a second trip, they were attacked
again, and at this point the evacuation was postponed. Of course if they had
continued the patients would have been in danger of being shot.

There have also been reports of hospital bound supply trucks being hijacked. It
doesn't sound like an excuse to me.