Check it out. Pretty gory. Fair warning. This is going viral fast too.

Watching it and it shows how brutal war is. I don't see the Soldiers on our side doing any wrong though.

Holy collateral damage moly

edit - "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. For further information please visit the special project website www.collateralmurder.com."

Ug. Sad Timmy is now super sad

Edited April 5, 201016 yr by Timmy

I watched the whole thing. If I was in a helicopter and someone peered around a corner pointing something at me that looked like an RPG, I would most likely fire. You don't get to think this over. You act or you're dead.

I'm not going to believe anything I read on youtube, either. Not saying it's not true. Just saying that's not where I go for my information. I noticed there were edited parts, too. If they don't have the 10 minute cap most users on youtube have, why did they need to edit? It was already 39 minutes long. I've seen the damage edited videos can make.

Wikileaks takes anonymous submissions. That right there alarms me. I could submit a video right now, saying it was anything.

Okay local conspiracy nut here.

Wikileaks is questionable, however I don't find them any more questionable than our US federal government.

I don't for one second believe that our forces are out there to cause harm to civilians, but you would be ignorant to believe that a few loose cannons are not out there doing what they want when they want. I stop to think why did this happen, why are we there in the first place? I support our troops 110%, but our leaders need to get our boys and girls home with the quickness. Too many needless lives are lost every day. If the soldiers were following the rules of engagement then I have no problem with this, but if they weren't then they should be held accountable.

Honestly even though this is gory and horrible to watch, this kind of thing is what we NEED to see in order to bring us to our senses. We have become so desensitized that this stuff really doesn't bother some people. And that is what truly scares me...some people have no moral compass.

I don't think they were very dangerous or were going to shoot down the helicopter. They never saw an RPG, they thought they did.

But yeah, they acted on gut instinct. Two of those people were from Reuters and unarmed.

They identified it as an RPG. When you're in a helicopter and someone is peering around a corner with what looks like one... you don't second guess it.

I don't know if they were Reuters. Wikileaks says it was, but what is the proof? Because they got an anonymous tip? Because it looks like the area where journalists were killed? I ask because I don't know. I don't exactly want their information, either. The few things I've seen by them, seemed like propaganda.

Also, they were following a van in the beginning. Later on, they see another van, stopping and retrieving bodies/wounded. They already had people inbound, to come survey the scene. They can't let their own forces come into a hot zone, or what appears to be one. That van could have been filled with anything. Bombs, local church group or even toys. Point is, you don't know. However, the people in Iraq, should know not to converge on a hot spot of activity. That includes journalists.

Does everyone here no it's illegal to carry a fire arm in the open in Iraq? The fact men were walking in the open with AK's is enough suspicion to fire on them, and any men who came to aid them can only be suspected as fellow insurgants. People over there know your not allowed to carry guns and if you see people who are you stay away, hence their being like no one near those guys. Also the guys waited and took out the group when they were at that corner, they could have done it earlier and taken many more innocent out in the process.

They had guns and that guy was kinda ducking and looking around the corner with a long round object.....they were cleared by their commander to fire. Honestly it's easy for us to judge, but for those guys they are just doing their job. Those reporters were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They knew of the risks of being there.

Reuters identified the journalists killed PK. That's how the whole thing came about in 07. They wanted it to get out.

Identified them at the scene? Identified them via the video? Identified them how?

At some point, one has to look at their own involvement. They placed themselves in danger, by going to an ongoing firefight. Chopper cameras have good cameras, but they aren't able to pick up journalists badges. If you look like you're a combatant, you will get fired on. Know that your camera can be mistaken for a weapon. Know that peering around the corner of a building, straight at a helicopter, will get you shot at. Know that stopping to pick up wounded, will get you fired at. There's no way to know who the journalists are and who the enemies are. No way. It's in the journalists best interests, to not place themselves in situations like that. I'm sure there's even rules they're supposed to follow and they probably didn't follow them on that day.

It was a bad thing. No question. Very terrible. A hit piece though, solves nothing. It'll only get people over here in another craze, where they get spit on and called baby killers when they get back. They're soldiers and soldiers do things us normal civilians don't. We shouldn't judge them. We weren't there and we never wore their shoes.

They identified it as an RPG. When you're in a helicopter and someone is peering around a corner with what looks like one... you don't second guess it.

^

This. If they opened fire on what they thought was a hostile target then they acted lawfully. In a theater of operation in what is a potentially hostile area hesitation can get you killed. All this proves is that technology has not eliminated the fog of war.

Here's an article on it.

MSNBC

One thing that stands out to me. "The investigation later concluded that what was thought to be an RPG was really a long-range photography lens; likewise, the camera looked like an AK-47."

And then another thing does. "It is believed two or three of these men may have been carrying weapons, although witnesses said none were assuming a hostile posture."

My opinion is that this does seem like a failure of training. It also really bugs me how the Pentagon tried to cover this up even though "Reuters filed a Freedom of Information Act request to have the video released. That request was never met, Reuters said."

Why does it stand out to you? US forces in Iraq, can barely get any cooperation from civilians. I understand it, too. I probably wouldn't cooperate, either. That said, why would they put themselves in jeopardy by helping the investigation?: It's just not done.

An investigation can take however long it needs to come to a conclusion. It can last an hour or a year. The people in the helicopter didn't even have part of one day. They had to make up their minds on the spot. One wrong guess, will get you and those under your command, killed.

Wow, can't believe I watched that whole thing. Where did that hour go!

Intense display of power on our part. It's like God throwing bolts of lightning.

Why do civies go into buildings immediately after they are hit by a missile? Most people run away.

If this were the other way around and the guys in the helicopter were shot down for NOT reacting, people would be claiming lack of training. They reacted to what looked like some sort of weapon from that far away and people STILL claim lack of training? Seems as though our guys over there are pretty much screwed either way they go in some people's eyes. Put in their place and having clearance to open fire, I'd do the same thing. At some point we have to realize that things like this will happen. As Sherman said all the way back in 1879 and it still stands true today, "War is hell".

I don't blame the soldiers there. Sure, i suppose it was a mistake, and the little laughs are a little disturbing here and there, but look. the journalists probably know what kind of situation they are in, and know what suspicious behavior looks like, even just the camera sling on the arm or anything like that. The soldiers are trained to react, too slow = death. Go ask my friend who lost a truckload of his squad (aka friends) in front of them because they were too slow. Spawn has it right, war is ****. There has always been collateral damage, just not the info available now that there was then. I could rant on and on about this, and about the war in general, blah blah blah, but I'll just stop for now.

Here's an article on it.

MSNBC

One thing that stands out to me. "The investigation later concluded that what was thought to be an RPG was really a long-range photography lens; likewise, the camera looked like an AK-47."

And then another thing does. "It is believed two or three of these men may have been carrying weapons, although witnesses said none were assuming a hostile posture."

My opinion is that this does seem like a failure of training. It also really bugs me how the Pentagon tried to cover this up even though "Reuters filed a Freedom of Information Act request to have the video released. That request was never met, Reuters said."

Sadly hindsight is a wonderful thing. The helicopter crew did not have that luxury. They were put in a position where they believed they were under imminent threat and were cleared to engage.

At that time what sort of area was it that the journalists were operating in?

Did they choose local body guards? If so why did they not hire PMC's? PMC's at least co-operate more with the military.

Did they check with the military that the area was safe before they entered?

Oh gosh ...

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rpg

It's incredibly sad that those people lost their lives, but that's the risk you take entering a country currently engaged in a war. I have absolutely no idea why anyone would want to go to countries such as that.

That said, they had AK47s or at least what appeared to be them, and that camera lens looked like an RPG for sure. If I had seen the video without reading any of your posts or the title of the video I probably would have thought it was a weapon. And rolling up in that van like that, they had to have known that they wouldn't look very innocent.

I can only assume, but when your in a warzone and you think your life is threatened you'll do whatever it takes to survive. Which is exactly what the soldiers thought they were doing.

I still say drop a damn nuke on that whole damn country and just get it over with.

I still say drop a damn nuke on that whole damn country and just get it over with.

I say just wall them in for like 20 years and let them sort out their own issues without foreign involvment.