Friday, April 9, 2010

Collateral Murder video shows unprovoked US attack

Wikileaks, a smaller and independent site, today linked a video they’re calling “Collateral Murder”.

The video, which lasts about 15 minutes, is the video from Apache helicopters operating in Baghdad. This Collateral Murder video shows Reuters journalists Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh as they were killed by U.S. “Friendly Fire”. The whistle-blowers the provided the video did not receive guaranteed payday loans for the video, and are being protected by Wikileaks.

The Collateral Murder incident

On July 12, 2007, there was a U.S. Army shooting in Baghdad. The official story of the attack is that “U.S. Forces came under fire”. A Reuters photographer and videographer were both killed during the attack. Right away, Reuters made a request for the video through the Freedom of Info Act, but never received a copy.

The Collateral Murder video

The video leaked by Wikileaks shows that the U.S. Army story of the event might are a cover-up. The video had been described in detail in a 2009 book by David Finkel, and Reuters officials were shown the video in a 2007 off-the-record briefing.

Even if something is off the record, officials who are not in need of payday loan companies cannot be stopped from leaking the information. The wide viewing of the video was only available as of today, when Julian Assange presented it at the National Press Club.

Just what is seen in Collateral Murder

A few things are for certain after watching the Collateral Murder video. When the Apache helicopters opened fire, the U.S. Army was not being attacked by the group they shot at. It also seems the troops mistook the telephoto lens or video camera as rocket-propelled grenades. When two children are injured by the gunfire, it seems the U.S. troops laugh and joke. One solider also requests permission to open fire on a van.

The Collateral Murder fallout

The Wikileaks posting of the video has not yet prompted a reply from the Army. The Army has previously stated that they believe all rules of engagement were followed in this incident. There are multiple rumors of cover-ups and unacceptable actions during the U.S. engagement in Iraq.

The Reuters news agency has replied to the video with a written statement. The Reuters statement said that the Collateral Murder video provides “graphic evidence of the dangers involved in war journalism and the tragedies that can result”.

Sources for the article:

Reuters News

The Good Soldiers

WikiLeaks



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