Despite reports earlier in the day that additional investigation was almost a certainty, the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) insists that it has no plans at all to reopen the investigation into the July 12, 2007 massacre of several Iraqi civilians in New Baghdad.
The initial statement from the military at the time of the incident claimed that troops were engaged in “combat operations against a hostile force,” but the leak of a classified video by Wikileaks earlier this week clearly shows the military helicopters attacking the group of Iraqis walking casually down the street, and none of them ever behaved in anything resembling a hostile manner or apparently even noticed that the attack on them was imminent.
The attack appeared to have killed around 12 people, including two employees of the Reuters news service. One of the employees was carrying a camera. Two children were also wounded when a van attempted to rescue the survivors of the initial attack. The behavior of the troops heard in the video as well as the comments made by some of them has raised serious questions about whether they were obeying the military’s rules of engagement.
But Centcom Captain Jack Hanzik criticized the video for only showing a portion of the military’s activity in Iraq during that day, and claimed that the attack was taken out of context. He claimed the people in the video “fit the description” of people engaged in combat earlier in the day. Centcom has declined to release their version of the video, claiming they “can’t find it.”
They're hoping it will quietly go away. CNN and the New York Times will certainly help them in that regard.
Wikileaks posted the 40 minute unedited version as well.
"none of them ever behaved in anything resembling a hostile manner" –If you're familiar with what an RPG looks like through one of those cameras, then I'll trust your judgement. I'm not familiar with them at all, but the guy peaking around the corner at them scared the hell out of me all the way from my comfy chair. I believe that happened after they got permission to engage, but one might argue that one of those killed did indeed appear hostile –for a few seconds.
You presume that this was a case of poor perception and hasty reaction, which, if true, speaks VERY badly to the discipline and competence of US aviators. However, this really was not the case, because the dialogue of the pilots clearly indicates a desire to kill for the sake of killing. There is no other way to describe it when one of the pilots is begging for a seriously wounded man crawling and writhing to "reach for a weapon" so that he can fire some more 30 mm rounds. You can call that "heat of battle," or "fog of war," or anything else you like, but all it really amounts to is a rationalization for killing.
Persnipoles–get real!
Seems you need a swift boot to clear your thoughts on the subject.what's the big deal a guy having a AK47 in war zone-what threat is a rifle to a Apache gun ship 1 mile away. No-one has asked–Are the Iraqies that stupid to stand around near a hovering gun ship? FYI: the gun ship in question was far from the scene and unknown to the Iraqies that they were watched and guns pointed. CrazyHorse–that should be enought to to hang all the b@sturds. Over Million innocent Iraqies have been slaughtered. And no-one cares that not one goon American has been hung for war crimes or is in jail. America is very sick :^/
that's not so…. they Iraqi's knew the gunship was there…. and anyone, not in uniform, carrying weapons is a valid target. Anyone walking with others, who are armed, is an idiot!.
BUT, to wantonly attack a truckful of ppl trying to rescue the injured is UNCONSCIONABLE! That was, is, and forever will be, MJRDER MOST FOUL! No weapons were in sight, and there was NO reason to attack the rescuers!
Encourage the DoD to bring charges against the scum buckets who laughed while they murdered what appeared to be Good Samaritans!
Have you never seen a long photo lens? That bears NO resemblence to an RPG AT ALL!
The men were, however, armed; they WERE valid targets.
The attack on the truck attempting to pick up the injured, however is REPREHENSIBLE! This is a casee of murder, pure and simple… the men who authorized that portion of the action, and the men who carried it out are war criminals!
I assumed it was a camera, but realized that I already knew they were journalists (and I can rewind). I wonder whether the pilot/gunner didn't deliberately misidentify it –like maybe that's the helicoptor version of "drop weapons" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_weapon .
"fit the description” of people engaged in combat earlier in the day…."
Oh sweet Jesus! Give me a break would you. They lied like dogs about THIS incident and now we're supposed to believe that there was ANOTHER incident (somehow it'll be buried under that "national security" blanket these bed wetters at the Pentagon all hide under) that we have to take on "faith" they're not lying about in order to cover their murderous asses. What ultra goobers!
This video shows the degeneracy of "our" military into nothing more than a brutal Imperial invasion force of a criminal U.S. regime which has dumped the Constitution for 'American Exceptionalism.'
"He claimed the people in the video “fit the description” of people engaged in combat earlier in the day"
Meaning they definitively looked like Iraqi going about their business, too. Perhaps also carrying "things" in their hands? Not to mention gun ownership was back then in "the unliberated days" normal for civilians in Baghdad. Or liquor stores, or women in higher education.
The pilots in the video gleefully slaughter those civilians, and couldn't care less when told that they'd just murdered several children as well. And THESE SAME GUYS are portrayed as heroes in the US media, in popular culture and elsewhere, given medals for their 'bravery,' cheered in parades, etc. Slick.
God Bless America.
I really don't know what to say anymore, I just feel a sense of hopelessness .
The men involved with this tragedy should be brought up on charges immediately! The first engagement WAS justified, and those that were killed might have reflected that they were behaving stupidly as they walked down the street with rifles. The attack on the truck attempting rescue is without exuse. Charge those soldiers with murder, and war crimes as applicable, IMMEDIATELY!