Incredible: ‘Doctor’ claims killing patients

This fellow calls himself a “doctor.” And apparently he accumulated the credentials to become eligible to practice medicine.

But just what kind of “doctor” is Luay Omar Taie?

He ostensibly was “treating” patients in a hospital in Kirkuk, Iraq. In a tape released by Kurdish security officials, Taie had admitted killing at least 35 Iraqi police officers and soldiers under his care. Some had been only slightly injured hen admitted to the hospital.

Taie says he gave some lethal injections. In other cases, he reopened wounds or unplugged life-support equipment. At times, he would cut off the electricity to operating rooms. Some of his victims had been admitted to the hospital with relatively slight injuries.

Among those murdered were an assistant police chief and his brother.

He was linked to a gang of radical Sunni insurgents which is said to have kidnapped more than 150 people and summarily executed 18 of them.

Taie’s actions were not based altogether on his own radical views. He told authorities that he was paid $100 for each killing.

This latest story provides another incredible dimension to the problems civilized people face in that part of the world.

While progress apparently has been made in establishing normalcy and sanity to many regions, prospects for peace throughout Iraq defy reasonable hope.

Published in Editorials on March 28, 2006 10:48 AM