Footage of July 2007 attack made public as Pentagon identifies website as threat to national security Chris McGreal in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 April 2010 20.52 BST
A secret video showing US air crew falsely claiming to have encountered a firefight in Baghdad and then laughing at the dead after launching an air strike that killed a dozen people, including two Iraqis working for Reuters news agency, was revealed by Wikileaks today.
The footage of the July 2007 attack was made public in a move that will further anger the Pentagon, which has drawn up a report identifying the whistleblower website as a threat to national security. The US defence department was embarrassed when that confidential report appeared on the Wikileaks site last month alongside a slew of military documents.
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The newly-released video of the Baghdad attacks was recorded on one of two Apache helicopters hunting for insurgents on 12 July 2007. Among the dead were a 22-year-old Reuters photographer, Namir Noor-Eldeen, and his driver, Saeed Chmagh, 40. The Pentagon blocked an attempt by Reuters to obtain the video through a freedom of information request. Wikileaks director Julian Assange said his organisation had to break through encryption by the military to view it.
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One of the men on the ground, believed to be Chmagh, is seen wounded and trying to crawl to safety. One of the helicopter crew is heard wishing for the man to reach for a gun, even though there is none visible nearby, so he has the pretext for opening fire: "All you gotta do is pick up a weapon." A van draws up next to the wounded man and Iraqis climb out. They are unarmed and start to carry the victim to the vehicle in what would appear to be an attempt to get him to hospital. One of the helicopters opens fire with armour-piercing shells. "Look at that. Right through the windshield," says one of the crew. Another responds with a laugh.
Sitting behind the windscreen were two children who were wounded. After ground forces arrive and the children are discovered, the American air crew blame the Iraqis. "Well it's their fault for bringing kids in to a battle," says one. "That's right," says another.
Full article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/05/wikileaks-us-army-iraq-attack -----
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8092207#8092724">The BBC & Al Jazeera English and now The Guardian are on it. This has gone global.
The AP have picked up on it, too. Finally:
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AP source confirms video of Baghdad firefightBy ANNE FLAHERTY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- A senior U.S. military official has confirmed as authentic a gritty war video circulating on the Internet that shows U.S. forces firing repeatedly on a group of men - some of whom were unarmed - as they walk down a Baghdad street.
The official confirmed that the video posted Monday at Wikileaks.org was of a July 12, 2007, firefight in the New Baghdad District of eastern Baghdad. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the video and a Pentagon investigation have never been released.
Among those believed to be killed in the attack was Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and his driver. Two children also were wounded.
The official said the military could not confirm the identities of the Reuters employees in the video.
From:
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1155ap_us_iraq_shooting.html 
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