Wikileaks Releases Film of 2 Reuters Reporters Killed

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Footwedge

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9,265 posts
Apr 7, 2010 1:08 AM
Not gonna post the link...it can be found on the internet. War is brutal and ugly. With Obama in power, the savagery of war is kept relatively quiet.

For those with a strong stomach, I suggest you search it and watch it. You will see a couple of kids picked off from the air as well.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/05/wikileaks-exposes-video-o_n_525569.html
Calling it a case of "collateral murder," the WikiLeaks Web site today released harrowing video of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter in Baghdad in 2007 repeatedly opening fire on a group of men that included a Reuters photographer and his driver -- and then on a van that stopped to rescue one of the wounded men.

None of the members of the group were taking hostile action, contrary to the Pentagon's initial cover story; they were milling about on a street corner. One man was evidently carrying a gun, though that was and is hardly an uncommon occurrence in Baghdad.
Apr 7, 2010 1:08am
Mr. 300's avatar

Mr. 300

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3,090 posts
Apr 7, 2010 11:12 AM
Footwedge wrote: Not gonna post the link...it can be found on the internet. War is brutal and ugly. With Obama in power, the savagery of war is kept relatively quiet.

For those with a strong stomach, I suggest you search it and watch it. You will see a couple of kids picked off from the air as well.

Footy, you bring up a very good point. The war dead were reported almost daily while Bush was in office. A daily, monthly, quartely, and annuall count were shown in almost every article about the war in Irag and Afghanistan. Today, what do we see????
Apr 7, 2010 11:12am
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Writerbuckeye

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Apr 7, 2010 11:19 AM
The media is protecting their pal.
Apr 7, 2010 11:19am
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LJ

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Apr 7, 2010 11:26 AM
This is not a "find it yourself" forum, I added a link to your first post.
Apr 7, 2010 11:26am
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cbus4life

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2,849 posts
Apr 7, 2010 11:28 AM
Would be the same for any President.

Eventually, the public becomes tired of hearing it, it is no longer a "story," etc. It isn't "news" anymore, as much of a shame that is.

Wouldn't be any different regardless of whether a liberal or conservative was in office, IMO.

It happens with every major story of suffering throughout the world. It is news when it starts, and then it just fades away, even though the suffering and killing is still going on at the same level.

I'm right there with you guys in regards to the media bias towards Obama, but i think this is one of those cases where it isn't as clear cut bias as you might like to think.
Apr 7, 2010 11:28am
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Mr. 300

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Apr 7, 2010 11:41 AM
Just watched the entire video. The two journalist were in a war zone, walking with men that had AK-47's and an RPG. Ummm, sorry, but what did think might happen???

The Apache boys are only doing their job. That's kill the enemy, and try to minimize collateral damage as much as possible. A sad story, but war is hell.
Apr 7, 2010 11:41am
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Gblock

Apr 7, 2010 11:52 AM
those planes are two miles in the air its amazing that they can see that close up, but sucks they cant prolly discriminate between a camera and and an ak 47....i got another type of video like this from a buddy in iraq ...pm me if you have facebook and ill send it to you. i tried to get the link but it came from an email and i cant get it.
Apr 7, 2010 11:52am
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Mr. 300

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Apr 7, 2010 12:08 PM
You could clearly make out the AK-47's, as well as the cameras, but the two together are asking for trouble.
Apr 7, 2010 12:08pm
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j_crazy

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Apr 7, 2010 12:50 PM
does anyone know or can someone explain why the reporters with dudes that had RPG's and AK's?
Apr 7, 2010 12:50pm
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cbus4life

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Apr 7, 2010 1:15 PM
I don't think it is all that uncommon for on-the-ground war reporters to be around folks like that.
Apr 7, 2010 1:15pm
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Mr. 300

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Apr 7, 2010 1:19 PM
cbus4life wrote: I don't think it is all that uncommon for on-the-ground war reporters to be around folks like that.

Agreed. They also know they are in harms way, and understand what the results could be. Hazards of the job.
Apr 7, 2010 1:19pm
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Footwedge

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9,265 posts
Apr 7, 2010 1:25 PM
The persistance of Reuters was the only reason that this film was released in the first place. One must turn inwards and reflect on how often these massacres on the innocent actually occurred over there.

Imagine the outrage had the roles been reversed, and American citizens, reporters and children were ambushed from the sky.

After viewing this carnage, I'm a little less proud to be American.
Apr 7, 2010 1:25pm
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majorspark

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Apr 7, 2010 1:31 PM
Footwedge wrote:After viewing this carnage, I'm a little less proud to be American.
I am sure you would have been down right ashamed after WWII.
Apr 7, 2010 1:31pm
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Footwedge

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Apr 7, 2010 1:32 PM
“Well, it’s their fault for bringing their kids into a battle.”

“That’s right.”

Dialogue moments after the attack.

My question is...What battle? Who were they fighting?
Apr 7, 2010 1:32pm
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Footwedge

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9,265 posts
Apr 7, 2010 1:34 PM
majorspark wrote:
Footwedge wrote:After viewing this carnage, I'm a little less proud to be American.
I am sure you would have been down right ashamed after WWII.
Did you watch the video? Are you proud of what they did?
Apr 7, 2010 1:34pm
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Footwedge

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Apr 7, 2010 1:37 PM
Mr. 300 wrote:
cbus4life wrote: I don't think it is all that uncommon for on-the-ground war reporters to be around folks like that.

Agreed. They also know they are in harms way, and understand what the results could be. Hazards of the job.
That was not a battle ground. That was a more like a My Lai massacre.
Apr 7, 2010 1:37pm
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WebFire

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Apr 7, 2010 1:39 PM
Footwedge wrote: The persistance of Reuters was the only reason that this film was released in the first place. One must turn inwards and reflect on how often these massacres on the innocent actually occurred over there.

Imagine the outrage had the roles been reversed, and American citizens, reporters and children were ambushed from the sky.

After viewing this carnage, I'm a little less proud to be American.
IDK. I think if American journalists were "hanging out" with AK-47 and RPG armed men, who had just engaged with enemy forces, I would think they are a dumbass.
Apr 7, 2010 1:39pm
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WebFire

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Apr 7, 2010 1:41 PM
Footwedge wrote: “Well, it’s their fault for bringing their kids into a battle.”

“That’s right.”

Dialogue moments after the attack.

My question is...What battle? Who were they fighting?
Let's be serious. Would you have taken your kids with you to that?

"Hey Ma, grab the kids and load the van. Enemy forces just attacked some men down the street and we need to rescue one."

And I saw/heard nothing that led them to know kids were in the van before engaging.
Apr 7, 2010 1:41pm
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WebFire

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Apr 7, 2010 1:42 PM
Footwedge wrote:
Mr. 300 wrote:
cbus4life wrote: I don't think it is all that uncommon for on-the-ground war reporters to be around folks like that.

Agreed. They also know they are in harms way, and understand what the results could be. Hazards of the job.
That was not a battle ground. That was a more like a My Lai massacre.
Unfortunate as it may seem, I think you a bit out of touch with reality when it comes to war, especially in the Middle East.
Apr 7, 2010 1:42pm
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majorspark

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Apr 7, 2010 1:45 PM
Footwedge wrote:
majorspark wrote:
Footwedge wrote:After viewing this carnage, I'm a little less proud to be American.
I am sure you would have been down right ashamed after WWII.
Did you watch the video? Are you proud of what they did?
Yes I did. No, not in this particular instance.

Mistakes happen in war, sometimes we kill our own people because we mistake them for hostiles.

There was a lot more "abushing from the sky" going on against the civilian population during WWII.
Apr 7, 2010 1:45pm
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Footwedge

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9,265 posts
Apr 7, 2010 1:55 PM
majorspark wrote:
Footwedge wrote:
majorspark wrote:
Footwedge wrote:After viewing this carnage, I'm a little less proud to be American.
I am sure you would have been down right ashamed after WWII.
Did you watch the video? Are you proud of what they did?

Mistakes happen in war, sometimes we kill our own people because we mistake them for hostiles.
I would not describe this incident as a "mistake".
There was a lot more "abushing from the sky" going on against the civilian population during WWII.
So, because these "mistakes" happened in WWII, massacres of this nature are just collateral damage of sorts, I guess.

Numbers cited range between 150,000 dead Iraqis to over 1 million dead Iraqis....with the majority of these casuaties being civilians. Now we know how many of them died.
Apr 7, 2010 1:55pm
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Footwedge

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Apr 7, 2010 1:59 PM
LJ wrote: This is not a "find it yourself" forum, I added a link to your first post.
I didn't add the link because of the gruesome nature of the video. I've posted war pix on other web sites and got chastised for doing so. I thought discretion might be the prudent choice here.
Apr 7, 2010 1:59pm
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2quik4u

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4,388 posts
Apr 7, 2010 2:40 PM
mistakes happen in war, innocent people die in war, that is the nature of the beast

now i'm not justifying what happened here, but you have to understand this is going to happen every once in awhile no matter what
Apr 7, 2010 2:40pm
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2quik4u

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Apr 7, 2010 2:44 PM
http://blog.ajmartinez.com/2010/04/05/wikileaks-collateral-murder/
Between 3:13 and 3:30 it is quite clear to me, as both a former infantry sergeant and a photographer, that the two men central to the gun-camera’s frame are carrying photographic equipment. This much is noted by WikiLeaks, and misidentified by the crew of Crazyhorse 18. At 3:39, the men central to the frame are armed, the one on the far left with some AK variant, and the one in the center with an RPG. The RPG is crystal clear even in the downsized, very low-resolution, video between 3:40 and 3:45 when the man carrying it turns counter-clockwise and then back to the direction of the Apache. This all goes by without any mention whatsoever from WikiLeaks, and that is unacceptable.
Apr 7, 2010 2:44pm