Monday, April 5, 2010
Collateral Murder In Iraq. An important document!
Overview
"5th April 2010 10:44 EST WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad -- including two Reuters news staff.
Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.
The military did not reveal how the Reuters staff were killed, and stated that they did not know how the children were injured.
After demands by Reuters, the incident was investigated and the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement".
Consequently, WikiLeaks has released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing these rules before, during, and after the killings.
WikiLeaks has released both the original 38 minutes video and a shorter version with an initial analysis. Subtitles have been added to both versions from the radio transmissions.
WikiLeaks obtained this video as well as supporting documents from a number of military whistleblowers. WikiLeaks goes to great lengths to verify the authenticity of the information it receives. We have analyzed the information about this incident from a variety of source material. We have spoken to witnesses and journalists directly involved in the incident.
WikiLeaks wants to ensure that all the leaked information it receives gets the attention it deserves. In this particular case, some of the people killed were journalists that were simply doing their jobs: putting their lives at risk in order to report on war. Iraq is a very dangerous place for journalists: from 2003- 2009, 139 journalists were killed while doing their work.""
(via the Palestinian Pundit)
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I don't know why this would be a surprise for anyone-anyone who has been through a war will tell you it's a lot of death, confusion, and lies. It was all predictable from the innocent defenseless people being slaughtered to the boilerplate bullshit they come out with afterwards(if they are caught)...The conversation of the soldiers and pilots is quite a chilling soundtrack to the massacre. The military did a real job twisting the minds of these guys. It is no wonder so many veterans commit suicide, are homeless, or become alcoholics. When they are out of that environment, all the shit they did comes back and tortures them.
ReplyDelete<span>I don't know why this would be a surprise for anyone</span>
ReplyDelete<span></span>-------------------
The surprise, I think, is that it's all on film.
It's too bad the 3 suicide bombings on Sunday were not caught on film.
ReplyDeleteJoe, you are right. It's completely predictable that they will come home f*cked up in the head. That some come home seemingly untouched is what is really scary.
ReplyDeleteJoe, you know very well that these militants were attacking the MNF-I or INP when they were hit.
ReplyDeleteLook at the full 39 minute tape and all the ancillatory infomation about this tragic event.
Do you deny that you backed these militants because you wanted them to attack the Iraqi National Police?
Why are so many of my fellow Americans such idiots?
Ann, the people messed up in the head were the militants who were attacking the sole legal legitimate government of Iraq under international law (and acknowledged as such by every government on earth); and its Iraqi National Police.
Why were these militants attacking Iraq? Why were they serving enemy governments at war with the Iraqi state?
It is probable that these militants who were killed were Iranian backed rogue JAM special groups. These forces dishonored Sayyed Muqtada's word that they shouldn't attack the Iraqi National Police or Iraqi Government.
They were the enemies of iraq; taking orders from Khamenei; [they might have been guilty of killing Sunni Arab civilians as well.]
TGIA, the attack on the militants was appropriate. The part that is questionable is the attack on the van. It almost certainly wasn't a civilian van; but it might have been a medical van. As a result; it shouldn't have been attacked but rather shadowed back to whereever it was going.
There are multiple detailed discussions of this tragic event for all those with the slightest interest in it; I doubt anyone on this blog has any interest in this even other than Mojo.
<span>Mojo knows this; not sure the rest of you do. This tragic event took place on July 12th, 2007, between 5th and 8th street in New Baghdad . . . in South Eastern Baghdad.
ReplyDeleteThere were gunbattles between anti Iraq militias and 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police (INP) Division, and elements of elements of 2nd BCT, 2nd ID that were partnered with 4-1 INP, for most of the day in the vicinity of 5th to 8th street.
As a result; civilians had cleared the area . . . pending the completion of the battles between the militias and 4-1 INP/MNF-I. This is why it is almost certain the van wasn't a civilian vehicle that happened to be in the area.
However, might it have been a medical van? The Sadrists use to control the health ministry and often used medical vans for military operations.
If this were the case, the helicopter shouldn't have hit the van; but rather tasked a helo or UAV to shadow the van and determine where it was going and its purpose.</span>
To be sure, the rogue JAM special groups had killed a lot of Iraqi resistance (sunni arab militias); but they had also killed many Iraqi Sunni Arab civilians; and scared the bejeezus out of Iraqi Sunni Arab civilians.
To be a nonsectarian leader of all Iraqis; Maliki had to dismantle the Iranian run rogue JAM special groups. Would you rather than Maliki was complicit with death squads that were drilling holes into the heads of Sunni Arab civilians?
BTW, many of you might want to look at pictures taken by the two journalists embedded with these militiants.
the sole legal legitimate government of Iraq under international law (and acknowledged as such by every government on earth)
ReplyDeleteAny government that relies on a foreign army to stay in power, rather than the active support and goodwill of the majority of the civilian population is illegitimate.
Sole? Legal? Legitimate?
ReplyDeleteAnn, please name a single nation on earth that didn't recognize the Iraqi Government as the sole, legitimate, legal government of Iraq. A single government.
ReplyDeletePlease name a single authority on international law that didn't recognize the Iraqi Government as the sole, legitimate, legal government of Iraq.
Ann, would you dare speak this nonsense in front of an Iraqi: let alone a member of the Iraqi Army? You obviously hate Iraqis and the government they elected as is your right. But don't dare call them illegitimate or illegal.
Just because you are an American doesn't give you the right to determine the government of other countries yalla.