Mr. Happy,

Sounds like a sudden attack of common sense if you ask me.

These "human shields" bimbled off to Baghdad ostensively to help prevent a war by placing themselves between those attacking and those being attacked. At the time of their leaving for Iraq, there was no talk of them being there to conditionally "protect".

The Iraqi Authorities then put them in positions that these "human shields" realise full well may be primary targets - Result, "human shields" depart saying, "Bugger that for a game of soldiers - do you think I'm daft - If I stand there I'm liable to get killed." (At that point TIA's allusion to principles goes right out of the window - they would have been better advised to stay at home - it would have saved the Iraqi Government a considerable amount of money - maybe they could even have bought another rocket motor with it, to add to the 382 they had bought already).

Sensible Chaps these "Human Shields".