I find it odd that WikiLeaks didn’t find it necessary to say who the men were on that city street, in civilian clothes, carrying AK-47s. I can understand why journalists and their photographers would want to talk to these men but they are certainly accepting considerable risk associating with them in a war zone.

Not odd at all, given that WikiLeaks was not the reporter on the scene, nor were they involved in an investigation. In fact, after viewing the video, I don’t see anyone with AK-47s. This may very well have been an accident, it sure sounds like it, but I sense also negligence on the part of the Apache spotters.

1) They could have zoomed in the camera on the gunship to verify an RPG. It was obvious to me, even without military training that it was not an RPG. They could have easily zoomed in to see that it was a camera and not an RPG.

2) The two children were obvious in the front seat of the van. The spotters may have been suffering from operational blindness, though.

3) The biggest piece that I find offensive here is that the military brass has attempted to cover this up. Accidents do indeed happen. Even in this scenario where the gunships were far enough away that it took a second or two from the point that the rounds were fired (based on the audio) to the point that the munitions hit, one can understand to some degree the possibility that the apache crew sensed a threat. Still, it was made quickly apparent that it was a mistake when the ground crew arrived, yet, the pentagon plays ignorant and innocent. That is not representative of the values and standard to which we hold our armed forces.

As for this articles atempted hit on the verbiage of the wikileaks report, indiscreminant does indeed describe some of the actions here. The pilots begging for the downed man to “just pick up a weapon” so that they could kill him and then shooting a group of UNARMED actors who were first responders to a scene where a lot of people were downed *does* come across as indescrimenant.

colby hall-take another look without the rose tinted spectacles. The video shows a US apache helicopter mowing down a group of people who are standing around and not engaging anyone. the video shows a us apache helicopter attack civilians who are simply trying to help a wounded man and kill them. the video show a US ground force run over bodies of dead people. This was a war crime and there is no doubt about it. The helicopter crew should be tried for mass murder.

C”mon y’all, CLEARLY it was the reporters’ and kids’ fault for being there. Our military cannot be held to account for such mistakes, because crowds of people are CLEARLY the enemy. /sarcasm

Yeah, watching this video, the first word that comes to mind is “indiscriminate.” If you look the word up, you will find out that it means “not discriminating; lacking in care, judgment, selectivity, etc.” (Random House Dictionary). Shooting without adequataely determining threat, or capacity to engage, or even to judge possible collateral damage, is what I think the word means.

Wait, 2007? How is showing the consequences of a three-year-old botched operation a “danger to national security”?

On the subject of how the information was delivered, I’ll have to agree with Colby. I mean, even from the Orwell line at the beginning. I love Orwell as much as the next guy, but if your job is to release raw, leaked information so that the public can make their own decisions about it, leave out the melodramatic quotes.

If the leaked information is pertinent, it should speak for itself. Using a quote from Eric Blair’s nom de plume doesn’t add anything to the report–in attempting to further dramatize the action (again, NOT NECESSARY if the information is pertinent) the presenters diminish the leaked information itself.

Colby -

Screw you! I watched the video two hours ago and I’m stills shaking.

I thought we were the good guys. I thought Americans didn’t do this sort of thing. Shooting a van picking up injured civilians (with TWO CHILDREN IN THE VAN) is no different than shooting at ambulances in war zones.

It’s freaking outrageous that you’re defending this in any way.

Shameful. Shameful. Shameful.

I think it’s shameful and disgusting that Mediaite chose to disguise this as an article. It’s using tragedy to get ratings.

As the Apache is going around the building the first time, and the Reuters journalists are shielded, there are 2 guys at the top of the frame that appear to have items in their hands. the pilot says he has a weapon too. Can’t really tell from that video. Were there any weapons found by the ground crew?

Thanks Colby, for omitting crucial details that would completely upend your account of what occurred in this video. For one, you’re the one who tagged it “Collateral Murder”.

Secondly, you can hear the crew members celebrating their kills in the video.
Dan Froomkin has a more honest accounting of this:

“Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards,” says one crewman after multiple rounds of 30mm cannon fire left nearly a dozen bodies littering the street.

A crewman begs for permission to open fire on the van and its occupants, even though it has done nothing but stop to help the wounded: “Come on, let us shoot!”

Two crewmen share a laugh when a Bradley fighting vehicle runs over one of the corpses.

And after soldiers on the ground find two small children shot and bleeding in the van, one crewman can be heard saying: “Well, it’s their fault bringing their kids to a battle.”

Washington Post reporter David Finkel described the incident — and the video — in great detail in his September 2009 book, “The Good Soldiers”. A summary can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091403262.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/05/wikileaks-exposes-video-o_n_525569.html

I think it a good thing we have this information, at long last.

EddieInCA – get real. You couldn’t make out children in that van and the men DID look like they were carrying weapons. And no where in the audio did the pilots indicate they thought they were civilians or children.

Unless you were there in that chopper or on the ground you don’t really know what did or did not happen or what was or was not seen or what anything might have looked like from a chopper crew’s vantage point.

The fog of war is very very thick.And yes it involves both the physical and the mental.

People should be damned glad it isn’t any worse than it has been.If it had been terrorists they would have had an “indiscriminate” field day and you all know it.

Look,it shouldn’t have happened and was a tragedy,but it’s a war and all wars are tragedies.The real solution is to reach a point where human beings worldwide don’t value death more than they value life.Until then unfortunate tragedies will continue among the many more victories and people who are saved from terror and death.

sometimes distinguishing the enemy from a civilian isnt so cut and dry, not even on site. i cant imagine how anyone could make judgements behind a computer desk.

The blood ultimately falls on the hands of the 0(zero) administration.

My opinion on this is very simple and clear. Before anyone passes judgment from the vantage point of complete safety with the time and technology to replay, stop, slow mo and consider all possible action from hindsight perhaps they should first serve a tour of duty or two and then I might be willing to consider their criticisms.

Until then I believe they saw what they saw at the time and they did not act improperly, which is a very different thing from having made an honest mistake. Even for that we have no idea what any subsequent investigations showed about who was on the ground and what had preceded this in the general area.

As someone that spent a year and a half in Baghadad, and watched countless hours of UAV and Apache footage as an intelligence analyst, you have to remember that soldiers don’t have the luxury of sitting in their recliners watching the footage over and over and analyzing each frame. Yes, it was a horrible accident, but it was an accident.

1) To the person that said the camera should have “zoomed in” to found that his camera was not an RPG – well, this isn’t Call of Duty, you don’t have the ability to have a sniper zoom on a Apache 30mm.

2) When they were walking, the camera and bags looked exactly like how RPGs are slung. I’ve seen them turn and shoot at an Apache in a fraction of a minute. Remember, an AK can take down a Apache. It happened in 2003, and I had the pleasure of meeting the POW pilots in that incident.

3) It sure looked like one guy had more than a camera/phone. A 4 foot thin object slung over the side sure looked like an RPG. It is to long for an AK, and nothing else would be carried in the streets casually.

It was a horrible accident, but it was an accident. There was no malicious intent in the conversation we heard. It was the same conversation I’ve heard countless times, you could hear that they didn’t want to get into a firefight – that was evident when they saw the guys with the percieved AKs and RPG.

Well said, Germ.

I forgot to mention that I also think the audio showed no malicious intent whatsoever.

“The blood ultimately falls on the hands of the 0(zero) administration.”

2007? Dumbass.

Thanks Colby, for omitting crucial details that would completely upend your account of what occurred in this video. For one, you’re the one who tagged it “Collateral Murder”.

Secondly, you can hear the crew members celebrating their kills in the video.
Dan Froomkin has a more honest accounting of this:

“Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards,” says one crewman after multiple rounds of 30mm cannon fire left nearly a dozen bodies littering the street.

A crewman begs for permission to open fire on the van and its occupants, even though it has done nothing but stop to help the wounded: “Come on, let us shoot!”

Two crewmen share a laugh when a Bradley fighting vehicle runs over one of the corpses.

And after soldiers on the ground find two small children shot and bleeding in the van, one crewman can be heard saying: “Well, it’s their fault bringing their kids to a battle.”

Washington Post reporter David Finkel described the incident — and the video — in great detail in his September 2009 book, “The Good Soldiers”

RPGs look nothing like zoom lenses. The shape is the exact opposite. RPGs are tapered, lenses are flat and get wider toward the end.
There was perhaps one rifle visible. It’s legal to carry a rifle in Baghdad, just like it is in the US. This is negligent homicide. The children were clearly visible in the van. The rescuers were clearly unarmed.
Bloodthirsty bastards. And then they thought it was funny. Begging for an excuse to kill the wounded.
Murder and lies, 24/7.
If it’s a righteous killing, why did the military cover it up?

“Sucks” here certainly has an appropriate name. Another “patriot.” Another “hero.” Another “Christian Soldier.” Speaking from the protection of his food-covered computer – inside his roach-ridden little room. Another knowledgeable GOPster! Yup.

I gather that the military covered this up to protect its soldiers. Not an excuse, mind you, but an explanation (still worthy of inquiry)

this video certainly depicts a tragedy, and my heart breaks for the civilian deaths that occurred. alas, I imagine that this sort of thing probably has happened far more than we would ever want to admit, and that it has a lot to do with our standing in that part of the world.

but I’m not going to criticize nor question the behavior nor psychology of the military in battle, from the safety of my own laptop. I respect all the opinions voiced here, and honestly think nearly all have some validity to them. but I also think that its not fair to use this clip for political gain.

in the end its just a horrible horrible tragedy and doesn’t need a politically expedient context to tell that story (as I feel WikiLeaks presented it)

I’m really shocked by some of the comments here. I thought the tone and content of Colby’s write-up were spot on. But some people are responding with hysterical Monday-morning quarterbacking. “RPGs are tapered, lenses are flat and get wider toward the end”??? Okay, maybe. If you had the two items sitting on a coffee table in your living-room maybe, but are you seriously claiming you can distinguish that from the distance in this video? In complete honesty, what the video labels as the two children looks like one object to me, and I couldn’t tell that it was human being at all. “Bloodthirsty bastards”???? Sorry, I just don’t see it. It’s tragic, but war always is.

Exactly how does some rough chatter after all the action by men who live and work daily in a kill or be killed enviornment constitute “intent”, malicious or otherwise?

Either way, it’s certainly deserving of another BushDrunk (#1 & #2) “Victory Parade.”

“Olby Sucks says:
April 5, 2010 at 4:24 pm
The blood ultimately falls on the hands of the 0(zero) administration.”

The zero in question was and will always be George W. Bush, dumbass extraordinaire and his keystone Kop administration. Heckuva effing job.

THESE PILOTS SHOULD BE COURT MARTIALED AND THE ONES THAT GAVE THE ORDER TOO, THE PEOPLE IN THE VAN HAD NO WEAPONS AND THERE WAS NO REASON TO SHOOT AT THEM, BECAUSE THEY WERE PERFORMING A RESCUE OUT OF IGNORANCE NO KNOWING THEY WERE IN DANGER. I CLEARLY HEARD THE PILOT THAT HE WAS FOLLOWING THE RULE NOT TO SHOOT IF HE DIDNT SEE A WEAPON OR IF THE WOUNDED GUY DIDNT PICK UP A WEAPON, AND THE THE PILOTS AND THE CHARGE OF COMMAND CLEARLY BROKE THE RULE OF ENGAGEMENT.

Oh fun, another “horrible accident”. How many are we up to so far? What, how many lives exactly? This was just about 12 in this one instance. And considering how many videos Wikileaks has regarding these types of executions, and let’s be honest here this was a psychotic execution, something should change regarding how soldiers act mentally. Did you see those nutcases? Celebrating a kill, that’s disgusting. They were a bit too casual to be seen as taking part in the life or death scenario, so that argument that “You don’t know, you weren’t there” is crap.

And they were clearly unarmed.

Cr*p!

Al Jazeera will just use this as propaganda against the US again…

Pray for our troops in the Middle East…

Enough derogating Mr. Colby.

If you could, please post a link to the entire transcript provided at Wikileaks showing the soldiers celebrating their “collateral murders”. When you read the transcript, people will see that Mr. Colby has selectively omitted major details in his wholly inaccurate summary of the video.

Maybe people can form their own opinions about the “horrors of war” and decide for themselves whether this is a “horrible mistake”. I have a few family members and friends serving in the military, and the sort of patronizing kowtowing in your post is the kind of thing that irks them, even more than code-pink anti-war protests. So please recognize the diversity of opinion of those that serve. Though many may disagree, some in the military are glad this video came out. It pushes the need for accountability, something that our American institutions are lacking much of these days.

I will paste the transcript here in full and people can decide for themselves whether this was not, in Mr. Colby’s assessment, “indiscriminate”. Again you can find this at the wikileaks website.

00:03 Okay I got it.
00:05 Last conversation Hotel Two-Six.
00:09 Roger Hotel Two-Six [Apache helicopter 1], uh, [this is] Victor Charlie Alpha. Look, do you want your Hotel Two-Two two el-
00:14 I got a black vehicle under target. It’s arriving right to the north of the mosque.
00:17 Yeah, I would like that. Over.
00:21 Moving south by the mosque dome. Down that road.
00:27 Okay we got a target fifteen coming at you. It’s a guy with a weapon.
00:32 Roger [acknowledged].
00:39 There’s a…
00:42 There’s about, ah, four or five…
00:44 Bushmaster Six [ground control] copy [i hear you] One-Six.
00:48 …this location and there’s more that keep walking by and one of them has a weapon.
00:52 Roger received target fifteen.
00:55 K.
00:57 See all those people standing down there.
01:06 Stay firm. And open the courtyard.
01:09 Yeah roger. I just estimate there’s probably about twenty of them.
01:13 There’s one, yeah.
01:15 Oh yeah.
01:18 I don’t know if that’s a…
01:19 Hey Bushmaster element [ground forces control], copy on the one-six.
01:21 Thats a weapon.
01:22 Yeah.
01:23 Hotel Two-Six; Crazy Horse One-Eight [second Apache helicopter].
01:29 Copy on the one-six, Bushmaster Six-Romeo. Roger.
01:32 Fucking prick.
01:33 Hotel Two-Six this is Crazy Horse One-Eight [communication between chopper 1 and chopper 2]. Have individuals with weapons.
01:41 Yup. He’s got a weapon too.
01:43 Hotel Two-Six; Crazy Horse One-Eight. Have five to six individuals with AK47s [automatic rifles]. Request permission to engage [shoot].
01:51 Roger that. Uh, we have no personnel east of our position. So, uh, you are free to engage. Over.
02:00 All right, we’ll be engaging.
02:02 Roger, go ahead.
02:03 I’m gonna… I cant get ‘em now because they’re behind that building.
02:09 Um, hey Bushmaster element…
02:10 Is that an RPG [Rocket Propelled Grenade]?
02:11 All right, we got a guy with an RPG.
02:13 I’m gonna fire.
02:14 Okay.
02:15 No hold on. Lets come around. Behind buildings right now from our point of view. … Okay, we’re gonna come around.
02:19 Hotel Two-Six; have eyes on individual with RPG. Getting ready to fire. We won’t…
02:23 Yeah, we had a guy shoot—and now he’s behind the building.
02:26 God damn it.
02:28 Uh, negative, he was, uh, right in front of the Brad [Bradley Fighting Vehicle; an tracked Armored Personal Carrier that looks like a tank]. Uh, ’bout, there, one o’clock. [direction/orientation]
02:34 Haven’t seen anything since then.
02:36 Just fuckin’, once you get on ‘em just open ‘em up.
02:38 All right.
02:40 I see your element, uh, got about four Humvees [Armored cars], uh, out along…
02:43 You’re clear.
02:44 All right, firing.
02:47 Let me know when you’ve got them.
02:49 Lets shoot.
02:50 Light ‘em all up.
02:52 Come on, fire!
02:57 Keep shoot, keep shoot. [keep shooting]
02:59 keep shoot.
03:02 keep shoot.
03:05 Hotel.. Bushmaster Two-Six, Bushmaster Two-Six, we need to move, time now!
03:10 All right, we just engaged all eight individuals.
03:12 Yeah, we see two birds [helicopters] and we’re still fire [not firing].
03:14 Roger.
03:15 I got ‘em.
03:16 Two-six, this is Two-Six, we’re mobile.
03:19 Oops, I’m sorry what was going on?
03:20 God damn it, Kyle.
03:23 All right, hahaha, I hit [shot] ‘em…
03:28 Uh, you’re clear.
03:30 All right, I’m just trying to find targets again.
03:38 Bushmaster Six, this is Bushmaster Two-Six.
03:40 Got a bunch of bodies layin’ there.
03:42 All right, we got about, uh, eight individuals.
03:46 Yeah, we got one guy crawling around down there, but, uh, you know, we got, definitely got something.
03:51 We’re shooting some more.
03:52 Roger.
03:56 Hey, you shoot, I’ll talk.
03:57 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
04:01 Crazyhorse One-Eight; this is Hotel Two-Six. Over.
04:03 Roger. Currently engaging [fighting/shooting at] approximately eight individuals, uh KIA [Killed In Action], uh RPGs, and AK-47s.
04:12 Hotel Two-Six, you need to move to that location once Crazyhorse is done and get pictures. Over.
04:20 Six beacon gaia.
04:24 Sergeant Twenty is the location.
04:28 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
04:31 Oh, yeah, look at those dead bastards.
04:36 Nice.
04:37 Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
04:44 Nice.
04:47 Good shoot.
04:48 Thank you.
04:53 Hotel Two-Six.
04:55 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
05:03 Crazyhorse One-Eight; Bushmaster Seven. Go ahead.
05:06 Bushmaster Seven; Crazyhorse One-Eight. Uh, location of bodies, Mike Bravo five-four-five-eight eight-six-one-seven [military map grid reference].
05:15 Hey, good on the uh…
05:17 Five-four-five-eight eight-six-one-seven [map grid reference]. Over.
05:21 This is Crazyhorse One-Eight, that’s a good copy. They’re on a street in front of an open, uh, courtyard with a bunch of blue uh trucks, bunch of vehicles in the courtyard.
05:30 There’s one guy moving down there but he’s uh, he’s wounded.
05:35 All right, we’ll let ‘em know so they can hurry up and get over here.
05:40 One-Eight, we also have one individual, uh, appears to be wounded trying to crawl away.
05:49 Roger, we’re gonna move down there.
05:51 Roger, we’ll cease fire.
05:54 Yeah, we won’t shoot anymore.
06:01 He’s getting up.
06:02 Maybe he has a weapon down in his hand?
06:04 No, I haven’t seen one yet.
06:07 I see you guys got that guy crawling right now on that curb.
06:08 Yeah, I got him. I put two rounds [30mm cannon shells] near him, and you guys were shooting over there too, so uh we’ll see.
06:14 Yeah, roger that.
06:16 Bushmaster Thirty-Six Element; this is uh Hotel Two-Seven over.
06:21 Hotel Two-Seven; Bushmaster Seven go ahead.
06:24 Roger I’m just trying to make sure you guys have my turf [area], over.
06:31 Roger we got your turf.
06:33 Come on, buddy.
06:38 All you gotta do is pick up a weapon.
06:44 Crazyhorse this is Bushmaster Five, Bushmaster Four break. We are right below you right time now can you walk us onto that location over.
06:54 This is Two-Six roger. I’ll pop flares [drop flares]. We also have one individual moving. We’re looking for weapons. If we see a weapon, we’re gonna engage.
07:07 Yeah Bushmaster, we have a van that’s approaching and picking up the bodies.
07:14 Where’s that van at?
07:15 Right down there by the bodies.
07:16 Okay, yeah.
07:18 Bushmaster; Crazyhorse. We have individuals going to the scene, looks like possibly uh picking up bodies and weapons.
07:25 Let me engage.
07:28 Can I shoot?
07:31 Roger. Break. Uh Crazyhorse One-Eight request permission to uh engage.
07:36 Picking up the wounded?
07:38 Yeah, we’re trying to get permission to engage.
07:41 Come on, let us shoot!
07:44 Bushmaster; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
07:49 They’re taking him.
07:51 Bushmaster; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
07:56 This is Bushmaster Seven, go ahead.
07:59 Roger. We have a black SUV-uh Bongo truck [van] picking up the bodies. Request permission to engage.
08:02 Fuck.
08:06 This is Bushmaster Seven, roger. This is Bushmaster Seven, roger. Engage.
08:12 One-Eight, engage.
08:12 Clear.
08:13 Come on!
08:17 Clear.
08:20 Clear.
08:21 We’re engaging.
08:26 Coming around. Clear.
08:27 Roger. Trying to uh…
08:32 Clear.
08:35 I hear ‘em co.. I lost ‘em in the dust.
08:36 I got ‘em.
08:41 I’m firing.
08:42 This is Bushmaster Forty got any BDA [Battle Damage Assessment] on that truck. Over.
08:44 You’re clear.
08:47 This is ah Crazyhorse. Stand by.
08:47 I can’t shoot for some reason.
08:49 Go ahead.
08:50 I think the van’s disabled.
08:53 Go ahead and shoot it.
08:54 I got an azimuth limit for some reason [gunner moved gunsight too far]
09:00 Go left.
09:03 Clear left.
09:15 All right, Bushmaster Crazyhorse One-Eight.
09:20 A vehicle appears to be disabled.
09:22 There were approximately four to five individuals in vehicle moving bodies.
09:28 Your lead Bradley should take the next right.
09:31 That’s cruising east down the road.
09:34 No more shooting.
09:38 Crazyhorse; this is Bushmaster Four. We’re moving a dismounted element [troops] straight south through the Bradleys [tanks].
09:44 I have your Elem- uh, Bradley element turning south down the road where the engagements were.
09:53 Last call on station’s uh Bradley element say again.
09:56 Roger this is Crazyhorse.
09:58 Your lead Bradley just turned south down the road where all the engagements [shooting] happened.
10:03 Should have a van in the middle of the road with about twelve to fifteen bodies.
10:11 Oh yeah, look at that. Right through the windshield!
10:14 Ha ha!
10:16 All right. There were uh approximately four to five individuals in that truck, so I’m counting about twelve to fifteen.
10:24 I would say that’s a fairly accurate assessment so far.
10:27 Roger that.
10:29 I want to just be advised Six, Bushmaster Six are getting mounted up right now.
10:35 Okay, roger. Hey, we can’t flex down that road towards that, uh, where Crazyhorse engaged.
10:43 So, uh, I don’t know if you want us to do so or stay put. Over.
10:46 Why can’t they go down there?
10:56 I think we whacked [killed] ‘em all.
10:58 That’s right, good.
10:59 This is Hotel Two-Six.
11:03 Hey you got my dismounted element [troops] right there over to your left.
11:06 Roger, I see ‘em.
11:11 Hey yeah, roger, be advised, there were some guys popping out with AKs behind that dirt pile break.
11:19 We also took some RPGs off, uh, earlier, so just uh make sure your men keep your eyes open.
11:26 Roger.
11:27 And, uh, Bushmaster ahead are, uh, Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
11:33 Crazyhorse One-Eight; this is Hotel Two-Six.
11:35 Yeah Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
11:37 Uh, location I have about twelve to fifteen dead bodies.
11:42 Uh, where else are we taking fire from?
11:48 Currently we’re not being engaged, ah, but just south of that location. Break.
11:55 You should see dismounted elements with Humvees [armored cars] moving to the east, over.
12:01 This is Crazyhorse One-Eight; we have elements in sight.
12:05 Bushmaster Three-Six.
12:07 I’m gonna get down a little lower.
12:09 All right.
12:10 I’m gonna come down a little lower and take a quick gander.
12:13 Roger that.
12:14 Six; this is four. We’re headed to the area where Crazyhorse engaged.
12:26 Bushmaster Six; this is Hotel Two-Six.
12:28 Request to go to the south to our original BP so if you flushed them to the south we will be there to uh intercept over.
12:39 Hey this is Bushmaster Seven; we’re coming up on B… on the ass end of the Brads [tanks].
12:54 Hey uh, Bushmaster Element; this is Copperhead One-Six break.
13:00 We’re moving in the vicinity of the engagement area and looks like we’ve got some slight movement from ah, the ah van that was engaged.
13:06 Looks like a kid. Over.
13:11 This is Bushmaster Seven, roger. Uh, we’re about a hundred meters behind you.
13:16 Got that big pile, to the right?
13:18 Roger, you gonna pull in here? Do you want me to push stuff so you can, uh, get clear of it?
13:21 Right on the corner?
13:22 What’s that?
13:23 Got that big pile of bodies to the right, on the corner?
13:24 Yeah, right here.
13:25 We got a dismounted infantry and vehicles, over.
13:30 Again, roger.
13:31 And clear.
13:48 There’s the Bradley right there.
13:51 Got ‘em.
14:00 Hotel two-six; are you uh at this grid over?
14:05 Yeah I wanted to get you around so didn’t you just get that one dude to scare them all away. It worked out pretty good.
14:11 I didn’t want those fuckers to run away and scatter.
14:12 Yeah.
14:15 Bushmaster Six; Hotel Two-Six. Roger, we linked up with our two element they are all mounted up in our trucks break.
14:23 We moved south so that we could ah possibly intercept personnel being flushed south. So we are vicinity Fifth Street.
14:30 And ah please line Gadins. Over.
14:37 Bring the trucks in, cordon this area off.
14:39 Can we move the Bradley forward so we can bring trucks in and cordon off this area.
14:44 If the Bradleys could take the south cordon, that could help out a lot.
14:53 Bushmaster or element. Which Element called in Crazyhorse to engage the eight-elem- eight-men team on top of a roof.
15:02 Bushmaster Six; this is Hotel Two-Six. Uh, I believe that was me.
15:07 They uh had AK-47s and were to our east, so, where we were taking small arms fire. Over.
15:20 Hotel Crazyhorse One-Eight.
15:26 Crazyhorse One-Eight; this is Hotel Two-Six.
15:28 Yeah Two-Six. One-Eight I just also wanted to make sure you knew that we had a guy with an RPG cropping round the corner getting ready to fire on your location.
15:36 That’s why we ah, requested permission to engage.
15:40 Ok, roger that. Tango mike.
15:46 Hotel Two-Six; do you understand me, over?
15:51 I did not copy last, uh, you got stepped on. Say again please?
16:00 They cordoned off the building that the helicopters killed the personnel on.
16:04 Don’t go anywhere else we need to cordon off that building so we can get on top of the roof and SSC the building. Over.
16:13 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
16:16 This is Hotel Two-Six.
16:19 Hey, whoever was talking about rooftops, know that all the personnel we engaged were ground level. I say again ground level.
16:27 Roger I copy ground level. Over.
16:30 One-Eight roger.
16:33 Can I get a grid to that one more time please?
16:36 Target twenty.
16:36 Roger.
16:40 You want me to take over talking to them?
16:42 S’alright.
16:46 Seven-Six Romeo Over.
16:49 Roger, I’ve got uh eleven Iraqi KIAs [Killed In Action]. One small child wounded. Over.
16:57 Roger. Ah damn. Oh well.
17:04 Roger, we need, we need a uh to evac [evacuate] this child. Ah, she’s got a uh, she’s got a wound to the belly.
17:10 I can’t do anything here. She needs to get evaced. Over.
17:18 Bushmaster Seven, Bushmaster Seven; this is Bushmaster Six Romeo.
17:20 We need your location over.
17:25 Roger, we’re at the location where Crazyhorse engaged the RPG fire break.
17:37 Grid five-four-five-eight.
17:46 Well it’s their fault for bringing their kids into a battle.
17:48 That’s right.
17:56 Got uh, eleven.
18:01 Yeah uh, roger. We’re monitoring [observing].
18:02 Sorry.
18:04 No problem.
18:07 Correction eight-six-one-six.
18:16 Looking for more individuals-south.
18:18 Bushmaster Six-Bushmaster Seven.
18:29 I think they just drove over a body.
18:31 Hey hey!
18:32 Yeah!
18:37 Maybe it was just a visual illusion, but it looked like it.
18:41 Well, they’re dead, so.
18:44 Bushmaster Six; Hotel Two-Six over.
18:56 Six; this is Four. I got one individual looks like he’s got an RPG round laying underneath him. Break.
19:05 Probably like to get…
19:10 Look at that.
19:12 Bushmaster Six; Hotel Two-Six over.
19:29 Bushmaster Six; Romeo Hotel Two-Six over.
19:44 Bushmaster Six; Hotel Two-Six over.
19:56 Hotel Two-Six; Bushmaster Seven colocated with Six.
20:08 Hotel Two-Six; Bushmaster Seven.
20:10 Bushmaster Seven; Hotel Two-Six over.
20:14 Roger, we got a little girl who needs to be evaced. What’s your location over?
20:22 On route Gadins, I am all the way to the south. So I am Gadins and Fifth Street.
20:28 I say again Gadins and Fifth Street, over.
20:40 Bushmaster Seven; Hotel Two-Six. Do you want us to push to your location?
20:55 Hey, uh, I need to get the Brads to drop rads I got a wounded little girl we need to take her off the maya.
21:04 Bushmaster Seven; Hotel Two-Six. Do you want us to move to your location over?
21:30 Bushmaster Six; Hotel Two-Six over.
21:34 Hotel Two-Six; this is Bushmaster Seven. Roger, come to our location.
21:39 Okay, roger, we’re coming up north on Gadins and then we will push east to your location.
22:06 Bushmaster elements be advised we have friendlies coming from the south to your location. Over.
22:13 All right, got ‘em moving up from the south.
22:35 Bushmaster elements be advised we are coming up from the east.
23:49 Hey One-Two; follow me over. I’m going to try and get out of here as quickly as possible.
24:10 You guys all right back there?
24:13 Yeah, we’re with you.
24:35 Lotta guys down there.
24:37 Oh yeah.
24:37 Came out of the woodwork.
24:38 This is Operation, ah, Operation Secure.
25:16 Yeah we have fifty rounds left.
25:17 Yep.
25:19 Two-Six; Six Romeo over.
25:21 Two-Six; Romeo over.
25:23 Hey roger, what’s your current location over?
25:47 Six; speak it’s Romeo.
25:50 Three-Six Romeo; Six Romeo over.
25:52 Roger, at the six once it’s back on this guy.
25:56 Lost him.
26:00 What’s he got for us?
26:01 Stand by.
26:06 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
26:21 Hey, did you got action on that target yet over?
26:25 Speak to Charlie roger.
26:32 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
26:55 Bushmaster Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
26:59 Roger, you have traffic over.
27:02 Roger. Uh, just wondering if you had anything else you wanted us to drive on?
27:08 Yeah roger keep on, ah, for the time being over.
27:11 Six calls Six Romeo. Can you tell battalion that two civilian children casualties are coming back to SMI in the Bradley over.
27:26 Six calls Six Romeo.
27:29 Bushmaster Six Copper White Six.
27:32 Copperhead White Six; this is Bushmaster Six Romeo over.
27:36 Roger, that’s a negative on the evac of the two, ah, civilian, ah, kids to, ah, rusty they’re going to have the IPs [Iraqi Police] link up. They can put us over here. Break. IPs will take them up to a local hospital over.
27:50 Copy over.
27:54 One six oh.
28:08 … they’re all going to.
28:10 Say again?
28:12 Where all those dismounts [infantry] are going to?
28:18 Going into this hous-. Sorry
29:29 Three Six, Three Six; Bushmaster Six Romeo over.
29:37 Six Romeo, Six Romeo.
29:39 Roger, Bushmaster Seven wants an up on all personnel in your battalion over.
29:44 Roger.
30:08 …friendlies [US troops] on the roof.
30:10 Crazyhorse One-Eight; this is Bushmaster Four over.
30:12 Bushmaster Four; this is Crazyhorse One-Eight.
30:15 Roger, I can ah hear small arms fire from your engagement area at two zero zero zero ah about three hundred meters from that objective over.
30:27 Crazyhorse; from what I understand small arms fire at two zero zero zero degrees about two hundred meters.
30:39 Just to the southwest.
30:41 Yup.
30:49 Right about where we engaged.
30:51 Yeah, One of them with that RPG or whatever.
30:55 He’s got a weapon. Got an RK–AK 47.
30:58 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
31:02 Gonna lose him.
31:03 Crazyhorse One-Eight this is Hotel Two-Six over.
31:08 Roger, have another individual with a weapon.
31:10 Dammit, they’re in the same building.
31:12 Hey roger that, just make sure that ah, you’re firing from west to east over.
31:16 Just went in the building.
31:18 Crazyhorse Three and Four will be on their way.
31:21 The individual walked into the building previously past grid [map reference]. So there’s at least six individuals in that building with weapons.
31:30 We can put a missile in it.
31:31 If you’d like, ah, Crazyhorse One-Eight could put a missile in that building.
31:46 It’s a triangle building. Appears to be ah, abandoned.
31:51 Yeah, looks like it’s under construction, abandoned.
31:52 Appears to be abandoned, under construction.
31:56 Uh, like I said, six individuals walked in there from our previous engagement.
32:01 Crazyhorse One-Eight; this is Bushmaster Six Romeo. If you’ve PIDed [Positively IDentified] the individuals in the building with weapons, go ahead and engage the building over.
32:08 Crazyhorse One-Eight; will be coming up north to south engaging with Hellfire [missiles].
32:13 All right, I’m going to do manual.
32:17 All right, we’ve been cleared to engage with…
32:18 This is Bushmaster Six Romeo. Crazyhorse One Eight is going to be engaging north to south with Hellfire missiles over.
32:24 This is Hotel Two-Six. Roger.
32:26 All right, you ready?
32:27 No, I’m trying to get over to the November [target]. Trying to find the fucking…
32:33 This is Bushmaster Six. Has that RPG round been extended already or is it still live, over.
32:38 Looks live to me.
32:40 Let me know when you’re going to fire.
32:44 All right, I’m fucking having a brain fart. Where’s the man [manual] advancement?
32:48 You got one on the clutch on the bottom left on your left door.
32:54 Roger let me stand by.
32:57 Got it?
32:59 No.
33:03 All right.
33:09 Let me just put a kilo [Hellfire missile] in there.
33:12 Ok.
33:15 Got it?
33:21 Put a kilo in?
33:22 All right, let me get back.
33:26 I’m gonna come around, get some more distance.
33:27 Roger that, you’re clear.
33:33 Got more individuals in there.
33:36 You wanna hit from north to south or you wanna go from west to east? I don’t wanna fire with the friendlies [US forces] right there, you know.
33:41 Yeah, go north to south.
33:53 Right, come around, right.
33:56 I’m just gonna put one or two in, if they want any more.
34:09 Right.
34:12 Found the missile.
34:15 Roger, I’ll get you in this straight.
34:16 You’re clear.
34:17 I’m firing.
34:26 Target hit.
34:28 It was a missile.
34:29 Left.
34:32 You’re clear. I’m above you.
34:36 Crazyhorse One-Eight; was that explosion you engaging over?
34:38 Crazyhorse One Eight, roger. Engaging building with one hellfire.
34:46 Let’s come around and we’ll clear the smoke. We’ll fire one more.
34:50 Hey uh, we’re going to wait for the smoke to clear.
34:52 Yes Crazyhorse One Eight now. We’re going to put one more missile into the building.
34:57 Yeah, did it ah, go in the building? I see the wall knocked out of the way.
34:59 Yeah, it went in.
35:01 Bushmaster Six Romeo; this is Hotel Two-Six. Yeah roger, that was Crazyhorse engaging with one Hellfire over.
35:10 Yeah roger, I got a November [target] if you want.
35:12 Fire away.
35:13 You want us to fire?
35:18 You ready?
35:19 Yep.
35:20 Bushmaster Six Romeo. They are going to engage ah, with one more Hellfire in that building.
35:24 Uh shit, why I do I have AP flashing on there? [warning on helicopter display]
35:47 We’re not even going to watch this fucking shit?
35:49 Till next one. It won’t come around, I need a little more distance.
35:53 Still want me to shoot?
35:57 You guys, following hot.
35:59 Roger.
36:13 You are clear.
36:14 Roger.
36:16 You going to bring up the missile?
36:18 Roger.
36:19 And firing.
36:20 Come down? There you go.
36:23 Fire.
36:24 All right.
36:28 I’ve got, ah BACKSCATTER [warning on helicopter display].
36:30 All right, come around.
36:32 Roger.
36:34 Coming around left, backscatter.
36:49 Firing.
36:53 There it goes! Look at that bitch go!
36:56 Patoosh!
37:03 Ah, sweet.
37:07 Need a little more room.
37:09 Nice missile.
37:11 Does it look good?
37:12 Sweet!
37:16 Uh, you ready?
37:18 Roger.
37:30 There’s a lot of dust.
37:36 Crazyhorse One-Eight; this is Hotel Two-Six. Was there a BDA [Battle Damage Assessment]?
37:40 This is Crazyhorse One-Eight. Stand by, engaging with another Hellfire.
37:43 All right.
37:45 You’re clear.
37:47 Lemme know when I’m clear.
37:50 Roger that.
37:59 He wasn’t.
38:02 Hotel Two-Six; Crazyhorse One-Eight.
38:07 Crazyhorse One-Eight.
38:09 Roger, building destroyed. Engaged with three hellfire missiles.

I have no problem with what I saw how our military engaged these individuals. My prayers to the innocents and our soldiers. War is hell!

yo. i cross-posted an excerpt of this to [mediaite sister site] geekosystem (http://www.geekosystem.com/wikileaks-video-collateral-murder/) because i think it is the most important story of the day across lots of news sectors. i respect your difference of opinion, colby, but i do not agree with where you come out on it … i agree that the situation is more complex than the kneejerk reaction you’re seeing in some sectors of digg and reddit, but IMO you are seriously letting the us military off the hook here and not really giving wikileaks the respect they are due as a really, really important organization.

if anything, the thing that most rubs me the wrong way about wikileaks’ approach to this is that they’ve been drumming their possession of this video up for weeks when they could have just released it straightaways (though maybe they had to to get any major news outlet to cover it), but they are waaaay more than some site that has “previously been labeled a “muckraking” website by some in the press.” also, trying to orchestrate a massive coverup + actively trying to undermine and intimidate a whistleblower site > writing a maybe sensationalist headline.

obligatory glenn greenwald: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/index.html

This is a ‘shoot. Don’t shoot.’ type of video. Where it relies strictly on the viewer to decide.Consider this. what if it had been a rpg rocket? By the time they would have confirmed it with a ‘Close up’ They would have shot the chopper down. It’s a judgment call and a tradgey. :(

OBAMASUX U HAVE NO PROBLEM BECAUSE U HAVE NO CONSCIOUS AND NO REMORSE AT ALL. U WISH PRAYERS TO OUR MILITARY , BUT NOBODY WITH A RIGHT MIND WILL PRAY FOR OUT OF CONTROL SOLDIERS EXCUSING THEMSELVES FOR WHAT THEY DID BY SAYING THEY SHOULDNT BRING KIDS TO THE BATTLE, WELL WHAT MAKES OUR MEN IN UNIFORM SURE THAT THESE WERENT JUST IRAQIS PASSING BY AND WANTED TO HELP A WOUNDED IRAQI?, IT SEEMS TO ME U ARE LUKEWARM WHEN U NEED TO CALLL OUT INJUSTICE EVEN IF ITS INSIDE OUR OWN MILITARY, THE CHARGE OF COMMAND AND THE SOLDIERS IN THE APACHE WERE OUT OF ORDER THAT DAY AND THEY KNOW IT THATS WHY THEY NEED TO MAKE UP EXCUSES. AND I DIDNT VOTE FOR OBAMA.

WTF is wrong with you people. This is war! Those solders of ours are always coming under fire from Snipers and people who claim they are innocent. This is why we cant win at anything because of idiots trying to tell the military how to act in the field while you sit at a desk or couch whining.. Thank god we didnt have people whining every moment during WWII . We would have lost.

Tough shit those guys died …wrong place, wrong time. Should know the hazards of being in a known insurgent place.

If they push this they will have to prosecute Obama for war crimes because the buck stops at the top!

BTW, What the hell is someone with kids even doing there. The parents deserve to get shot.

Remind me next time a war breaks out to send hkyplayer a rifle and a plane ticket to the front lines of that war.

jrc, your caps are on

Olby Sucks says:
April 5, 2010 at 4:24 pm
The blood ultimately falls on the hands of the 0(zero) administration.

===

I had no idea President Obama was president in 2007.

You understand so little.

Janet:

Thanks for sharing your gut reaction and your profuse apologies once again.

By the way, that comes from the Royal King who did serve, not the one who crosses the street so as to not walk too closely to the Recruitment Office.

Because some of the comments are so strong, I re-watched this a second time thinking that I must be missing something. Sorry, but I still just don’t see it. I think this was a really unfortunate accident, but I don’t think the soldiers were reckless or “bloodthirsty.”

It was a horrible accident, but it was an accident. In the conversation we heard it was evident they saw people with the perceived AKs and RPG. I have never been to war or confronted an armed opponent but I do not think either side has the luxury time. In fact, the one who acts first is the one most likely to go home after the fight. As for the children as sad as their deaths are what responsible parent takes their child to a war zone? The men and women in our armed forces are heroes anyone who thinks they are killers of innocent people (by choice) is free to move out of our country, renounce his or her citizenship and start over somewhere else.

Malvi Lennon says:
April 5, 2010 at 10:40 pm

“…is free to move out of our country, renounce his or her citizenship and start over somewhere else.”

Ahhh, nice to know you people are still around to tell people to move out of your country.

Now that you neophytes have had your say, let me tell you how it is: It’s war. War is hell, in fact, it’s the most disgusting thing I know of (and I know of it only too damned well.) War is also survival and those who are most diligent in the prosecution of war tend to survive those who are not. In war, sometimes innocent people get in the way and they get whacked. I don’t like it, you don’t like it, but it’s a fact. Here, we have a case of where some innocent people got in the way but you have to reconcile the fact that they put themselves in harms way–NOBODY made them do what they were doing. I am sorry for their families for having suffered the loss of their loved ones–losing a loved one is a thing no one ever truly gets over. Again, I speak from experiences–experiences I wish I could not have turned out the way they did–but death is a part of life and the sooner we resign ourselves to that fact, the sooner we grow the hell up.

Accident happen in war. Innocents die in war. Why do you all think people hate it so much?

I am very pro military, grew up with a military dad, went to a military school and a guy whose two biggest mentors were west point vietnam vets (one who heroically leaped on a hand grenade and ran the nat’l -
guard and reserve for Clinton) but -

the second time that the Apache opened up on these iraqis when they were trying to carry away the wounded -was criminal.

Cheers to the real journalists at wikileeks and jeers to the wannabe DC insiders like Colby here, who cant even see why truth matters most in a war zone – even when its staring him – horrifically – right in the face.

Get out of Journalism, go sell stocks or bonds or something “Colb” – that would seem to be more of your calling.

16:49 Roger, I’ve got uh eleven Iraqi KIAs [Killed In Action]. One small child wounded. Over.
16:57 Roger. Ah damn. Oh well.
17:04 Roger, we need, we need a uh to evac [evacuate] this child. Ah, she’s got a uh, she’s got a wound to the belly.
17:10 I can’t do anything here. She needs to get evaced. Over.
17:18 Bushmaster Seven, Bushmaster Seven; this is Bushmaster Six Romeo.
17:20 We need your location over.
17:25 Roger, we’re at the location where Crazyhorse engaged the RPG fire break.
17:37 Grid five-four-five-eight.
17:46 Well it’s their fault for bringing their kids into a battle.
17:48 That’s right.

I pretty much would need more info before I condemn the military for their actions. At first look It seemed unjustified. After watching video and listening to the conversation. I clearly see the Camera man, sneaking around the building pointing the camera. I would say this individual set off the exchange. If you are going to take pictures hold the camera up in plain site. The cameraman doing this, made the pilots fearful he had an RPG. Adrenaline starts pupping and you go into fight, or flight mode. The pilots are taught to fight not flee. So they did what they are trained to do. Kill people and break things. Children should not be in a war zone. Also if you are going to pick up wounded hold up a white flag or something Open the van up to show you have children and no weapons. . I am a U.S Veteran. I understand Procedure. Looks to me our guys pretty much followed it to a “T’ If you don’t like what you saw here. Then I suggest. Joining the military and find out what it is all about. You will find it is a pretty scary business knowing you are a target all the time….

The enemy can rationalize too

“We did not intend to kill those people on the planes or in the buildings- but they should have thought of that before they allowed their government to meddle in the affairs of our countries and people in the middle east. It is tragic, but this is war, and war is hell. We had three strategic targets we wanted to attack- the headquarters of your financial, military, and political leadership- the very places where you plan our destruction and financial enslavement. We do not have dedicated military hardware or troops to formally and openly engage you, so we must use more unconventional methods- we assure you that the civilian deaths were merely collateral, but necessary to achieve our goals. As you know the mission was mostly a success. Ideally, it would bring the US into a costly war of attrition in the middle east, and it has worked beyond our wildest dreams. Because of our mission, to this day, your country continues to destabilize politically and financially. You went on to attack a country who did not have a single citizen involved in our operation, which was more than we could have ever asked for. There is now a long line now of brave soldiers willing to sacrifice their lives to attack your nation again, and despite the setbacks of your more legitimate operations against us, we will get our chance. As long as you continue to engage the arab peoples with out remorse or regret, we can be seen as heroes, and assume power. So the next time you are attacked and your citizens are killed, remember, war is hell, and that’s what you get for living in a war zone.”

Mooklyn makes a very good point.

I found the video very shocking, but trying to get past any bias in the presentation, I took the time to freeze-frame stills from the section where the gunner says “He’s got an RPG!” It’s very clear, on repeated review and enlargement of the stills, that there’s someone with what looks like a long tube over his shoulder peeking out from the shelter of the corner of the building and using it for cover. Just as the Apache moves out of view, he actually aims this object at the helicopter. Only then, for a split-second, does a pinpoint of reflected light appear at the tip of the object. In the safety of my room, I can see that this indicates that it’s more probably a camera with multiple lens extensions than an RPG. But whether that micro-second flash of light even registered on a conscious level with the gunner, or only subconsciously added to his concern about being blown out of the sky, is a good question.

There’s no question, though that someone was hiding behind a corner and aiming an object at the Apache. That has to be factored in to what happened. Personally, I don’t think it begins to justify what went down, but covering it up is no more excusable than the gunner’s sloppy and inaccurate reporting of “a group of with AK-47′s” – as if they were all armed – and his obvious bias toward getting some (more?) kills under his belt Bias is bias, whether or not weapons are involved, and bias on one side doesn’t solve bias on the other. The real problem here is is the indoctrinated bias that mooklyn points out. The gunner was trained to see enemy combatants wherever he looked and to take them out without mercy. “Let me shoot!” “Let me shoot!” This is exactly what makes war hell. You can dress it up in military jargon all you want, but bloodlust is still bloodlust.

Ok how are you people any different from hippies during the Vietnam war? Because of you whining little couch potatos we pulled out of Vietnam in time for it to be taken over by the North. Its you stupid whining little A Holes that keeps the U.S. back. ITS WAR!!!! These kinds of things happen on all sides of every war. Thats reality deal with it. Do you reallly think if the marines would have known that those men were reporters that they would have Fired? Or seen the children in the van? Those marines had the decency to take those children to the hospital. Your all thinking about the negatives in this situation. Its you same lazy pricks that treated our soldiers like crap after vietnam because they were forced to kill children to stay safe. The very women and children that gave our soldiers packages called “gifts” that turned out to be a bomb. Or women and children that would run at soldiers only to be outfiited with a suicide bomb. Soldiers do what they had to to stay alive. If you were there and you could have sworn that was an RPG poking around that building pointed at you, you would have done the same thing. You don’t want to admit it because your at your computer posting your own meaningless opinions. It’s war so face the reality!

I will not defend the militaries actions in coverage up this story. IMO, when it was revealed there were children in the van they should have been taken to an Army hospital. If an investigation was needed and happened, results should have been made public. I have never been in war, but I know many soldiers, as I’m sure several of you do. Every friend and family member I have talked to about war tell of times when they messed up. They thought someone had a gun when they didn’t, or worse, thought someone was safe when they were armed. In both cases people lose their lives. War is hell and you can sit in your mom’s basement and rant against the military all you want but my father is over in Iraq now running air fields for apaches. He would tell his boys to fire if they thought there was danger.

If your loved one was in the cockpit of that chopper, would you rather them wait to be fired upon to be sure someone had an RPG, or would you rather them open fire?

None of us can comment as to what the soldiers on that Apache saw and did not see from this video. You can tell from the highly distorted monitor displays that this video is no where near the video quality of what was seen in real time. I would love to see the copy of this video which the pentagon still refuses to release, despite the FIA request made by Reuters in 2007 immediately after the incident.

you must be joking