Collateral Murder Video
The “Collateral Murder” Video
American Soldiers Gunning Down Unarmed Civilians, Journalists and Children
On April 4, 2010, whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks published a classified video of a United States Apache helicopter firing on civilians in New Baghdad in 2007. The video, available at www.collateralmurder.com, shows Americans shooting and killing 11 individuals who do not return fire. Two of those killed were Reuters’ employees, including 22 year old Reuters’ photojournalist Namir Noor-Eldeen and his driver, 40 year old Saeed Chmagh.
The video includes an audio recording of the internal commentary by the American soldiers before, during and after the shooting. The soldiers repeatedly request and are granted permission to open fire, encourage one another and joke about the dead and dying civilians. (Full transcript available here)
A total of 11 adults were killed. Two children, passengers in a van that arrived on the scene after the first bout of gunfire had ceased, were seriously injured when the Apache helicopter opened fire on their van.
In 2007, Reuters called for an investigation into the attack. In response, a spokesman for the multinational forces in Baghdad stated: “There is no question that coalition forces were clearly engaged in combat operations against a hostile force.”
Read the Army’s report on the death’s of two Reuter’s employees and the wounding of the two children.
There was no investigation of the nine other deaths.
No charges have been filed against the American soldiers in the Apache helicopter who shot and killed the civilians in the video.
Watch the video:
I really feel sorry for Bradly. I have no trust in a fair trial for him. We can only let him know that people care about him. So me as a Muslimwoman, can only help him by calling the muslimcommunity to support Bradly. I did it by writing to cageprisoners in the UK:
Assalamu alaykum,
I want to inform you about a recent cage prisoner: Bradly Manning; former US soldier who’s held in custody for leaking information about US forces in Iraq to the wellknown Julian Assange.
Even though he is not a Muslim, he did support the Umma by letting the world know how the US military treat fellow muslims in Iraq. His punishment for this couragious act, is his inhumane treatment in a US prison. He has already health problems.
So I want to ask you, please inform your visitors about him and let them support him too by sending letters:
Bradley Manning
c/o Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Ave #41
Oakland CA 94610
USA
I would also refer you to his support network: http://www.bradleymanning.org/
Thanks in advance for your attention
kind regards,
Abida
The Netherlands
I refer you to: http://www.cageprisoners.com
I wish you good luck with your actions. May God help Bradly!
Abida
absolutelly shocking.
Manning is a true patriot for taking the military system to task.
He was so brave to expose these heinous war crimes which are so often ignored or condoned by the American public, who immediately fall for stupid lies. People will believe whatever they are told by the government. He was not “aiding the enemy;” he was trying to expose the truth that should never be kept secret. I hope I would have done the same had I been in his position!
This video is shocking to say the least. The government once again got caught murdering and is making the messenger pay for it. The U.S. Government is a bunch of cowards! They murdered U.S. citizens on 9/11. I saw the PBS Video with Bradly’s Father. My opinion is his father is one GUT LESS COWARD. That man did nothing to help his son. Maybe the Army will call him to testify against his son. This guy actually said if Bradly did release the information, then he should be prosecuted. This coward said that is the way the military did it when he was in the military. I wish frontline would have asked him if he saw collateral murder and what he thought about that. Bradly’s dad is a coward! He could have hammered the government in that interview! He looked like a scared dog!
Honestly, when I look at this video, all I see is a U.S. Apache unit doing its job in protecting the streets of Baghdad. If those news reporters had been smart, they would have 1) been sure to wear clear media identification, and 2) not been shooting coverage of insurgents in a militarized area. And the men in van that later approached were foolish to not only drive into a demolished area when it was bound to still be observed by the attacking troops, but also to bring their children into such an obvious threat. There seems to be plenty of anger against the military for doing their job, but everyone seems to skip over the sheer lack of knowledge on the part of the casualties.
What would you recognize as clear identification from a helicopter that could not be recognized by people in the street? The vehicle in which the soldiers were shooting from was a stealth attack helicopter shooting from miles away. People in the street could neither hear nor see the helicopter approaching; the shots when they came would seem to rain from the sky. Is it the responsibility of every citizen to wear identification on the outside of their clothing when they are walking outside in their own country, or journalists to wear identification that is large enough to be seen by a helicopter that can shoot from a range of 300 miles? If so, we all must be doing something wrong, don’t you think?
I couldn’t agree more with Micelle. The helicopter was shooting from many miles away, observe how long the interval between the firing and the impact of those explosive rounds that the helicopter was firing. The reporters were war photographers, it was their job to take photos in militarized areas. The rescuers who tried to rescue the wounded reporter had no idea of attackers being nearby.
“Those brave choppers were just doing their duty and protecting the streets of Baghdad…” yeah, right…pardon me while I blow chunks…the cow jumped over the moon in ballet slippers, too. “Protecting” the streets of what was once a place called Baghdad—-for WHOM (U$$$$$ofA) and from WHAT?I am sure that over a million Iraqis feel very “protected” ever since Uncle Shaftstein planted them six feet under their own soil…you might want to recall that the USS Liberty displayed the American flag very prominently on their after signal deck and that sure as Hell didn’t stop the jewish Mirage pilots from deucing that ship with everything they had—-and that was from less than 200 feet altitude and here you are expecting Reuters correspondents to wear protective insignias that would be visible from miles distant. Sorry, but cold blooded murder is cold blooded murder whether it hides behind a U.S. military uniform or George W Douche’s pinstripe suit.
Bradley Manning’s tragic case is almost like an updated rerun of that of Tyler Kent, the code clerk at the U.S. Embassy in London in 1940 who witnessed cables that clearly showed beyond any reasonable doubt and to a moral certainty that Roosevelt and Churchill were both in a collusive joint mania to LIE the American people into making war on Germany…
“We will make war on the German people whether they want it or not” W. Churchill in 1936
One can only imagine what this young man is going through right now. He knows he did the right thing, so do I, and so does anyone who has seen the direction the government has taken since 911. Whistle blowers are supposed to be protected when they expose criminal activities or malfeasance by the highest offices of business or government. These state secrets which are classified in the name of “National Security” are in fact indictments against a government that has not only violated the UN Charter, but the Geneva Conventions as well. If the U.S. had signed on to the World Court, those responsible for “going over to the dark side” would be placed on trial for war crimes in the Hague. Extraordinary Rendition, torture, and the killing of civilians from UAV’s, attack helicopters, and by JSOC assassination teams without trial or due process are indicative of a government that has lost its compass.
To be fair, those civilians were clearly and openly carrying AK47s. One of them even had an RPG. Would you rather they wait for the RPGs to shoot down transports carrying dozens of US troops before neutralizing them?
It’s a shame that innocent people were killed during this incident, but being a journalist in a warzone does not come without risks.
@OC Two civilians were carrying weapons. Those who have been stationed in Iraq say that this is the norm. Civilians carry weapons in order to protect themselves because they live in a war-torn country. The civilians in question, however, had not shown aggression toward the helicopter. Additionally, killing the wounded unarmed Reuters reporter who was trying to crawl away, and firing on the van that tried to rescue him, was a clear violation of UN law. Ethan McCord is one of the soldiers who appears in the video near the end. Here is his account of those events, and the larger context.
Emma, there’s no doubt that what happened was terrible, and I’d like to believe our troops in the Apache would not have opened fire if they had known two Reuters reporters were down there. I saw the video multiple times, and from their point of view it’s not easy to determine what the two reporters were carrying. The only thing that can be clearly seen from that distance is that one of the civilians in the group was definitely carrying a big ol’ RPG.
Now, I’m willing to give our troops the benefit of the doubt because it’s not like they opened fire on completely unarmed civilians. Remember, They are the ones risking their lives out there everyday. They are the ones who pay when civilians with RPGs pop out of nowhere and blow them to pieces, so they damn well have more rights than people sitting behind their computers to decide when to take down RPGs. Or are you going to tell me they carry RPGs and IEDs (which kill thousands of civilians) for their own protection too?
I might even be tempted to go along with this “mistaken identity” or “collateral damage” mantra if I didn’t know better about America’s far from sterling conduct in wartime—-nothing new by any means: right after the Spanish-American War of 1898-1899, McKinley decided that rather than give Philippine natives autonomy over their own islands, he would make of that archipelago an American “colony” whether the people there wanted it or not so that Wall Street would have more to exploit. The popular revolutionary leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, and his people who had fought on America’s side against Spain and had lost the lion’s share of casualties made it plain that they were tired of being colonized by anyone—-America immediately made war on the people of the philippines, losing 4200 men and killing over a quarter million mostly civilian men, women and children like the 900 Philippine Muslim Moros on the island of Jobo who, with their entire families were trapped in a volcanic crater and then casually shelled and fired upon until there was not one left breathing—-and the captured civilians accused of “sympathizing” who had water forced into them until their stomachs distended to just short of bursting and were then stepped on to make the water geyser three feet into the air and who were then left to die in excruciating agony. Well, they didn’t have Apaches back then that could fire missiles from two miles away but I dare say that some sociopath on this thread will try to claim that was all “mistaken identity” as well
To shoot people brings resentment..If somebody shoots my child ,Wife ,Friend or kid down the street I do not care if they claim to have done it for my freedom..Fighting local people from Planes will be many Mistakes..One cannot kill many locals then expect them to welcome us with open arms..If people were flying over America Killing people in the street by Mistake would be a Problem..Bradley Is a Hero had the Courage to Speak up..If the people were killed were Family of yours would you be Happy to cover it up..Think 99% of people if their family members were killed by Mistake would want it Known So we can stop this things.happening..We need the Troops out It is our leaders Fault The Army have a job is Impossible to do ..Feel sorry for the Military
When I first saw this video I was disgusted by just how quick U.S. troops made their choice to open fire on the unsuspecting Afghani civilians. I feel utter sorrow for the victims and their families. The problem with the Afghanistan war is that many U.S. troops are told by their superiors that the Afghan people are their enemies. This leaves no room for deliberation on military tactics amongst U.S. military personnel or discourse between the U.S. and Afghan people.
I hope that in the future, U.S. troops can better assess a situation before getting “trigger happy”.
For the love of God! This took place in Iraq! Not Afghanistan. They are 2 distinct nations with distinct cultures. I know it is hard put please, try to appreciate that the world is more diverse than America and ‘the rest of the world’.
The video is an absolute horror to watch, the pleasure the soldiers take in killing fellow human beings contrasted with the absolute absence of any threat from the people on the street. It is appalling. I remember watching this video when it came out & being physically ill. They remind me of Nazis, these trigger-happy murderers. History will show, the parallels are many.
cathie….what do you know of the Mideast? And what in the cornbread Hell difference does it make whether the jewish instigated and profiteered carnage is in Iraq OR Afghanistan? And what if indeed anything do you know of German National Socialism? Most likely you hadn’t even been thought of back during WWII and don’t know jack squat about the greatest demo derby in history other than what you read in some damned high school twistory book written by a jew.
Well I did live through that conflict and i wish people like you would leave any mention of Germany and National Socialism out of your feeble comments until you know what you are talking about as clearly you don’t.
The people in that city KNEW US troops/tanks where on the ground yet they openly carried weapons, AK’s are allowed, 1 per household w/ 1 30rd magazine. BUT that RPG is a BIG no-no. Its a clear sign of aggression and everyone on the deck in Iraq/Afghanistan KNOWS this, including reporters. As for Manning, he signed up to be part of the military and he will pay the price for making a decision WAY out of his pay grade, it was stupid. The military is no place for weak-minded individuals with an overwhelming conscience. If he or anyone here, spent 1 day in combat you would know exactly where im coming from.
So…. having morals is weak-minded? Congratulations. I don’t see how leaking information about the US being corrupt is “weak-minded.”
None of them were armed… The so called RPG was a camera
Remember Iraq was the country we (the US) invaded based on false weapons on mass destruction (WMD) claims. REMEMBER? These people were in their own country, we (The US) used GPS surveillance to see them and target them and kill them in their own country. Might I add for OIL OIL OIL OIL Wake up.
SO ashamed to be an american. I will tell every soldier I see from here on out “What’s wrong with you?, you morally corrupt piece of shit, go kill some more civilians, you ass wad.” and “Thanks for ruining any shot at a peaceful earth.”
Really? Every soldier? You are as narrow minded as the people that opened fire on these people. As a fellow military member, I too see the wrong doing here. They CLEARLY violated the LOAC and ROE (Law of Armed Conflict and Rules of Engagement). Granted they had weapons, they were not raised, thus posing no threat at the time. Get your head out of your ass before you bottle up everyone. Some of these people want to and try to do the right things and changes this government and military into what it should represent; Honor and Valor. We have lost all reality of our core beliefs.
Thanks to Michael Moore I just read the background and viewed the video. I agree that GW Bush, Dick Chaney and Rumsfeld should be the ones that are behind bars rather than PFC Manning
First off, unless you are an Apache pilot, stop making claims on weapons ranges. Every reference to any type of range in these postings are false. 2nd, most everyone is right; the AH-64′s were not at risk. However, the people on the ground who had been In a firefight for the past several hours were at risk. It’s those people the Apache were protecting. While it is our job to pull the trigger, it is not a highlight of our day to kill anyone. It is a good feeling to know that we may have saved coalition lives. We take several tests a year that teach us what the best munitions are to minimize collateral damage. If there is a crowd of “innocent” people in the middle of a firefight, and 2 people in that crowd have AK’s, they are all guilty. Why would you, an innocent person be in that situation? We have to live with every life we take. This is something most people on this blog will never have the tragedy of living with.
You make it sound as if innocent people just WANT to be around AKs willingly! Is it someone’s fault that they just happened to be walking down the street and a drunk driver kills them? It’s by pure chance! Where is the “guilt” in that?