Wiki leaks video of american apache killing civilians

[Jaybles]

BBC link

the Pentagon have admitted they mistook the cameras for weapons.. I've already pointed this out.

[ellal]

you'd have to wonder how many other instances like this there are...

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Hardly a week goes by in that other war in afghanistan without a report of innocent civilians being 'accidentally' killed. Weddings appear to be a speciality of the US airforce.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Rufus Gwertigan

[Rufus Gwertigan]

mmmm

have to admit, that looks suspicious (didn't see it the first time).. .appologies (as I said, not that I'd know what an RPG looks like, or what it is even)

now I'm confused

(impressive editing btw)

[Kyelo]

1. I can see why they shot, the pictures are not that clear and it is easy to see why they think they have guns/RPGS.

2. So what if they are casual? They look like they have guns/RPGS no matter what their manner. Even if they are not a direct threat at the present time they may be in the future ie grounds to fire.

3. The pilots are pretty sick if you ask me, begging for permission to kill. Toying with peoples lives.

4. As to the van turning up, not their fault. Apaches are well known for their capabilities of taking targets out from miles away. Not a chance any of them would have seen it.

So basically I don't blame them for shooting, mistakes will always be made in every aspect of life even one as critical as this but the pilots should be repremanded for their care free, almost sadistic view on the power they have.

Edited April 7, 2010 by BenchBuddah

[modey]

Yes they mistook cameras for weapons.....but what about the other weapons?

Looks an awful lot like an RPG to me

[Kyelo]

It does but i don't see how this means they can jsut go ahead and shoot at 12 people, mostly unarmed.

There are no ground forces nearby in combat or under threat and an rpg certainly wouldn't be any threat to the apache which will not even be visible to these men.

So basically this apache can just fly around towns in baghdad and if they see somebody armed they can open fire on everyone in the vicinity?

[Budweiser]

Im pretty sure some of them have guns, and they were taking up a position behind the wall. But it doesn't dispute the fact the Americans treated the situation as if it were Call of duty.

[Jaybles]

Im pretty sure some of them have guns, and they were taking up a position behind the wall. But it doesn't dispute the fact the Americans treated the situation as if it were Call of duty.

[modey]

Im pretty sure some of them have guns, and they were taking up a position behind the wall. But it doesn't dispute the fact the Americans treated the situation as if it were Call of duty.

[Ed209]

I'm not condoning anything, and i'm very much against this conflict, But this is the brutality of war, ladies and gents. I don't know what people are expecting.

Things need to be put in perspective. Of all the unjust and nasty things that have gone on in the human history of war, this is very near the bottom of the pile.

[Purple Monkey]

Tragic, but this is war. Shit happens in war.

However, some shit, like this, really didn't have to happen.

I'm amazed by the apparent detachment and startled by the ease that the technology has given to murder. They're supposed to be trained, professional killers, 100% of the time. It's important for them to be dispassionate and level headed and kill who they need to kill, to take it seriously enough so that they don't ever trivialise the lives of innocent people enough to pull this "shoot first, ask the questions later" cowboy bullshit. Kick'em out.

Edited April 8, 2010 by Purple Monkey

[rabid]

for there not be senseless wars and for this sort of behaviour not to happen? (call me old fashioned... )

[rabid]

point taken...

was thinking more along the lines that it felt like it was the norm in the sixties to think war was (generally) a bad thing... now it's "shit happens"

[Alcatraz]

So Wiki leaks pulls the trigger on further ISAF war crimes. Shame they're a bit unreadable, but I think I get the gist. Turns out not everything's being done with compassion and according to law

[Alcatraz]

Aye. Its difficult to rationalise the 'according to law' bit though ... Is there any lawfulness in invading country in order to topple a government, replace it with an internationally recognised government, then get the corporations in to build great big oil pipelines?!?