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The following memorandum was sent by a Pentagon contact…
[Name deleted]
In pictures: Iraq wedding video](BBC NEWS | In Depth | Photo Gallery | In pictures: Iraq wedding video) BBC News 24 May 04
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The video follows conventional Arab ritual, beginning with the bride (centre left, in Western-style gown) setting off for the wedding as relatives look on. Associated Press Television News says it cannot confirm the authenticity of the video.
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The bride’s convoy then speeds through the desert in decorated pick-ups on their way to the celebration.
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The trucks arrive at the groom’s family home with horns blaring. Women ululate and a single shot is heard as the bride makes her second and last brief appearance.
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The male guests settle down for the festivities in a spacious goat hair tent. Men and women are segregated as Bedouin custom dictates.
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Muslim wedding celebrations do not typically include a religious rite - which takes place separately - what is important is music, song and dance.
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The men wear typical costume for the region, and pursue the typical pastimes of water pipes and worry beads.
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A singer mixes praise for the bride and groom's families with improvised topical comments on the US occupation and bombing of Falluja.
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The singer reportedly died in the bombing, as did the keyboard player (pictured) whose body was later filmed by a TV crew.
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The wedding festivities continue until after nightfall. US bombers hit in the early hours of the morning, after their targets had gone to bed.
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About 40 people were killed in the bombing, including at least 10 children, witnesses said. Cameraman Yasser Shawkat Abdullah who took this film was among the dead.
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US forces maintain they attacked a safehouse for foreign fighters and, until the emergence of the video, insisted there was no evidence of a wedding at the location.