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78-548: On July 12, 2007, a series of air-to-ground attacks were conducted by a team of two U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopters in Al-Amin al-Thaniyah , New Baghdad , during the Iraqi insurgency which followed the invasion of Iraq . On April 5, 2010, the attacks received worldwide coverage and controversy following the release of 39 minutes of classified gunsight footage by WikiLeaks . The video, which WikiLeaks titled Collateral Murder , showed

156-629: A Rada onboard multimission hemispheric radar. The Army chose DRS because of the flexibility of the reconfigurable turret to allow for growth opportunities and alternate weapon options, it posed less intrusion to the existing vehicle platform, as they have a desire to keep the Stryker as common across the fleet as possible, and it provided increased protection as the crew can reload ammunition under armor. All 144 M-SHORAD systems are planned to be delivered by 2022. The turret can mount one four-shot Stinger pod or two Hellfire missiles on either side, and reloading of

234-404: A U.S. army general investigating the incident said was a rocket-propelled grenade. The Apache gunner says that there are "five to six individuals with AK-47s" and requests permission to engage the group which is granted. Noor-Eldeen walks ahead of the group and peers around a street corner to aim his long-lensed camera at U.S. Humvees which are about 100 metres down the street. Noor-Eldeen's camera

312-711: A dying, unarmed journalist to pick up a weapon as he tried to crawl to safety and that "the Apache crew open[ed] fire on civilians". When the crew were informed that a child had been injured by their attack, one initially responded, "Ah damn. Oh well", and a minute later continued, "Well, it's their fault for bringing kids into a battle". Smith describes this reaction as inhuman. She draws parallels with soldiers who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder in earlier wars. She continued, "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants". In refusing to recognize this,

390-408: A few blocks away, which I was involved in, and they’re carrying weapons, one of which is an RPG. …Their overall mission that day was to protect us, to provide support for us, so I can see where the initial attack on the group of men was warranted. However, personally I don't feel that the attack on the van was warranted. I think that the people could have been deterred from doing what they were doing in

468-547: A flatbed truck, allowing for a more cost effective way of destroying drones compared to missile based systems. On October 2, 2023 it was confirmed that EOS would send an undisclosed number of Slingers to Ukraine to combat the growing drone threat. In October 2024, unveiled the M230LF dual-feed chain gun. The cannon has a dual-feed mechanism to allow operators to select between XM1211 proximity fuzed rounds to neutralize UAS and XM1198 HEDP rounds for anti-armor engagements. This enables

546-450: A group of ten Iraqi men. Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters , Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen . Seven men (including Noor-Eldeen) were killed during this first strike; Chmagh, who was injured, died in the second strike. The second strike, also using 30 mm rounds, was directed at a van whose driver, Saleh Matasher Tomal, drove by and helped the wounded Chmagh. Both Chmagh and Tomal were killed in

624-421: A hard thing to see. It's painful to see, especially when you learn after the fact what was going on. But you—you talked about the fog of war. These people were operating in split second situations.". The New Yorker praised its release, calling it "a striking artifact—an unmediated representation of the ambiguities and cruelties of modern warfare". Daniel Ellsberg , a former United States military analyst who

702-525: A hostile force". The Washington Post reported it was unclear whether the journalists were killed by U.S. fire or by shooting from the targeted Iraqis. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. Major Brent Cummings claimed they took great pains to prevent the loss of innocent civilian lives. Reuters reported that it could locate no witnesses who had seen gunmen in

780-595: A lighter alloy than brass (ADEN) or steel (DEFA) cases. The M230 rounds cannot be fired by weapons designed for the ADEN or DEFA rounds. The Lightweight 30 mm rounds come in three varieties: the M788 rounds, which have a blue band near the nose, the M789 with a yellow stripe atop a black band, and the M799 with a red stripe atop a yellow band. The M799 HEI round is not used by the U.S. Army because of

858-476: A machine gun to fire the U.S. Army's M50 20 mm round. By April 1973, the program had fired test rounds of more powerful 30 mm WECOM linked ammunition, from a prototype (A model). In January 1975, a model C was added, a linkless version for the proposed Advanced Attack Helicopter YAH-64; the helicopter was eventually adopted as the AH-64 Apache, with the model C as standard armament. The linked ammunition version

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936-433: A nearby building. As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. He walks into a building which has been identified as the source of fire at U.S. ground troops. They request permission to fire a missile at the building, describing it as "abandoned" or "under construction". The ground controller responds, "If you've [positively identified]

1014-457: A number of Iraqi civilians and wounded two children, one of them is heard to say: "Well, it’s their fault for bringing their kids into a battle". The ground troops who secured the site of the first two strikes then receive small arms fire from nearby buildings. There is a period of 20 minutes not included on the leaked tape. According to the internal legal review, the helicopters engaged a group of armed insurgents, and that some were seen entering

1092-522: A single gun to target both threats and eliminates the need for mixed ammunition belts in a single feed. On 28 February 2018, the US Army announced that Stryker vehicles would be modified with sensors and weapons to fulfill an interim Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) requirement. This is in response to a capability gap identified in Europe against Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In June 2018,

1170-529: A special internal fuel tank, the Robertson IAFS (known as the "Robby Tank" to the crews). Ammunition is loaded into the Apache by armament personnel using specialized ground support equipment: an aircraft-mounted motorized loader and special ammunition handling tray. The M230 can fire the 30×113   mm rounds used in the ADEN cannon and DEFA cannon , although U.S. Apaches use Lightweight 30 mm rounds made with

1248-455: A threat." He said that WikiLeaks "does not point out that at least one man was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG". The WikiLeaks edited video did not add arrows pointing to these men, or label them, as it did with the men carrying cameras. WikiLeaks stated that "some of the men appear to have been armed [although]

1326-427: Is aircraft ordnance used by combat aircraft to attack ground targets. The weapons include bombs , machine guns , autocannons , air-to-surface missiles , rockets , air-launched cruise missiles and grenade launchers . This aircraft-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . M230 chain gun In 1972, Hughes Helicopters began a company-funded research effort to design

1404-462: Is about 300 rounds per minute with a 10-minute cooling period. The gun has a positive cook-off safety for open bolt clearing, and double ram prevention. Spent casings are ejected overboard through the bottom of the gun. The mount on the AH-64 uses secondary hydraulics to move the gun. The elevation is provided via a single hydraulic actuator on the gun's centerline just forward of the pivot point. The gun

1482-425: Is also designed to fragment upon impact, killing unprotected, standing people up to about 5 ft (1.5 m) away under optimum conditions. The M230LF, offered by Orbital ATK , is a more capable version of the Apache autocannon. Features include an anti-hangfire system, a delinking feeder that exploits linked ammunition, and an extended-length barrel, which results in greater muzzle velocity and hitting power from

1560-480: Is controlled by a Remote Operator's Console (ROC)—with either dual grips or a joystick—from a touch panel display and extended day color TV. In February 2015, Oshkosh Defense and ATK conducted a firing demonstration of the M230LF on an Oshkosh M-ATV MRAP to demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of a medium caliber weapon system for light tactical vehicles. The live fire demonstration showcased improved accuracy in mobile engagements and improved lethality on

1638-451: Is misidentified by the Apache gunner who says "He's got an RPG!" Three pictures of the U.S. Humvee were found on his camera's memory card when it was recovered by U.S. soldiers. The men become obscured behind a building as the Apache moves around the group. Both helicopters strafe a group of ten men with 30 mm rounds once they became visible again. After the lead helicopter fires, one of the crew shouts "Hahaha. I hit 'em" and another member of

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1716-486: Is spring-loaded to return to its centerline stowed position with the barrel angled up about 11 degrees if hydraulic power is lost. This allows the gun, which is mounted below the copilot station, to collapse into a space between the pilots' stations in a hard landing. The Apache can carry up to 1,200 rounds for the gun in a device known as the 12-PAK, designed and manufactured by Meggitt Defense Systems, Inc. However, U.S. Army Apaches can carry only 300 because they also have

1794-456: Is to get political impact?" Assange responded: Yes, absolutely… Our promise to the public is that we will release the full source material. So if people have a different opinion, the full material is there for them to analyse and assess. On 19 April 2010, Ethan McCord, who appears on the ground in the video, and Josh Steiber, a member of the same company who was not present on the day, wrote an open Letter of Reconciliation & Responsibility to

1872-417: Is twenty men. Among the group are two journalists working for Reuters , Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh . While the two are carrying media cards, a military officer claimed they were not wearing distinctive clothing identifying themselves as such. Noor-Eldeen has a camera and Chmagh is talking on his mobile phone. Two other men in the group appear to have rifles. Another has a long cylindrical object which

1950-565: The JLTV , equipped with an XM914E1 30 mm cannon , 7.62 mm coaxial machinegun, and Stinger missiles to fulfill an air defense role. The Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) fills the gap left by the retirement of the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger by the USMC in the mid-2000s. It consists of two JLTVs, one with the turret fitted with a 30 mm cannon, 4-round Stinger pod, and an optical sensor and

2028-480: The Russian invasion of Ukraine . The Northrop Grumman Agnostic Gun Truck consists of an M230LF mounted on a civilian pickup truck. Three battery sets each including three gun trucks and one Mobile Acquisition, Cueing and Effector (M-ACE) system will be delivered; M-ACE incorporates a mast-mounted 3D radar that can detect a drone out to 10 km (6.2 mi) as well as tracking and identification cameras. The radar cues

2106-509: The 17-minute version of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone. Both videos depict the attack on the van, van driver, and two other men, and the aftermath when the two seriously injured children were evacuated by U.S. ground forces who arrived on the scene. The longer video shows the third attack, in which Hellfire missiles were fired into a building. In an Al Jazeera English interview on April 19, 2010, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange explained why WikiLeaks titled

2184-546: The Army chose Leonardo DRS to supply the mission equipment package, which partnered with Moog Inc. to integrate the Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP) onto the vehicle. The system can be fitted with a Stinger pod and Longbow Hellfire missile rails and comes equipped with a 30 mm M230LF chain gun and the 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, as well as non-kinetic defeat capabilities and

2262-591: The Iraqi People apologising for the events in the video. They wrote that: What was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. From our own experiences, and the experiences of other veterans we have talked to, we know that the acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war: this is the nature of how U.S.-led wars are carried out in this region. Ahlam Abdelhussein Tuman,

2340-618: The M-ATV using the gun, mounted on the Electro Optic Systems (EOS) R400S-Mk2, a 3-axis stabilized remote weapon station (RWS) weighing less than 400 kg (880 lb). The addition of the 72.6 kg (160 lb) M230LF stabilized on the RWS provides mobile precise lethality, usually reserved for heavier combat vehicles, with increased off-road mobility and MRAP levels of protection, along with optional Stinger missiles . Oshkosh has also fitted

2418-607: The M230LF and Stingers can be done through roof hatches giving partial protection. The system can act in a secondary anti-vehicle role, as the 30 mm cannon is larger than the 25 mm gun mounted on the M2 Bradley and the Hellfire has greater range than TOW missiles typically used by ground vehicles. In September 2020, the US Marines contracted Kongsberg to qualify the XM914 RWS on

July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike - Misplaced Pages Continue

2496-456: The M230LF to the L-ATV to fulfil the U.S. Army's light reconnaissance vehicle (LRV) role. Australian company Electro Optic Systems also utilises the M230LF for its " Slinger " defensive system. The system is planned for usage against drones by using a radar and a variety of sensors to track and destroy targets with a single shot. All together it weighs less than 400 kg (880 lb) and can be mounted on

2574-422: The U.S. Army stated that the two children were evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via Forward Operating Base Loyalty , then transferred to an Iraqi medical facility the next day. The Guardian stated "It is unclear if some of the men are armed but Noor-Eldeen can be seen with a camera". Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com said that "the vast majority of the men were clearly unarmed". Greenwald called

2652-451: The US military fails both its own soldiers and their victims. She concluded that command structures need to be in place to identify "combatants with serious psychological problems". On Democracy Now! , Josh Stieber, who was at the time assigned to Bravo Company 2–16, said that although it's natural to "judge or criticize the soldiers", in fact "this is how [they] were trained to act". He said that

2730-415: The assessment that the group of men were carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Assange stated that the attack on the van was the most damning part of the video: "I'm very sceptical that was done under the rules of engagement; and, if it was legal, the rules of engagement must be changed". Fox News reported in 2010 that the rules of engagement in Iraq had not been changed since the incident occurred. On

2808-579: The behavior of nearly everyone was relaxed" in the introductory text of the shorter video. In an interview with Fox News Assange said that "it's likely some of the individuals seen in the video were carrying weapons" and "based upon visual evidence I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything. ... Nearly every Iraqi household has a rifle or an AK. Those guys could have just been protecting their area". Fox News later stated that "although it could be argued AK-47 rifles are common household items, RPGs are not". A draft version of

2886-404: The building and seven residents had died, including his wife and daughter. The report stated that the helicopter crew did not know how many people were in the building when they destroyed it with missiles, and that "there is evidence that unarmed people have both entered and are nearby". It concluded that an investigating officer would want to know how the armed men were identified as combatants from

2964-644: The context of justifying the title 'Collateral Murder' that the word 'RPG' was not used until after permission to engage was given, he leaves the impression that the soldiers were given the okay to open fire on a group of unarmed men, or men believed to be unarmed. But the video and accompanying audio make clear that the soldiers in the helicopter said they spotted 'weapons' among those in the group—later identified by an internal army investigator as an AK-47 and an RPG." Assange later said "Based upon visual evidence, I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything". The legal review carried out by

3042-417: The crew firing on a group of people and killing several of them, including two Reuters journalists, and then laughing at some of the casualties, all of whom were civilians. An anonymous U.S. military official confirmed the authenticity of the footage, which provoked global discussion on the legality and morality of the attacks. In the first strike, the crews of two Apaches directed 30 mm cannon fire at

3120-399: The crew responds "Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards". Seven men were killed, including Noor-Eldeen, with three others being wounded. Once the group is eliminated, the Apache pilots direct the ground troops to move up to the position of the attack to clear the area. As the ground troops advanced, a wounded Chmagh was seen crawling and attempting to stand. As the U.S. soldiers moved towards

3198-420: The danger of a round exploding in the gun barrel. The M789 is the U.S. Apache's main tactical round, a High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) ammunition cartridge. Each round contains 21.5 g (0.76 oz) of explosive charge sealed in a shaped-charge liner. The liner collapses into an armor-piercing jet of metal that can penetrate 1 in (25 mm) of rolled homogeneous armour at 500   m. The shell

July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike - Misplaced Pages Continue

3276-405: The day of the attack the U.S. military reported that the two journalists were killed along with nine insurgents, and that the helicopter engagement was related to a U.S. troop raid force that had been attacked by small-arms fire and RPGs. U.S. forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Scott Bleichwehl later stated: "There is no question that coalition forces were clearly engaged in combat operations against

3354-514: The debate should be re-framed, that it is more appropriate to ask "questions of the larger system" that teaches "doing these things is in the best interests of my own country". In 2009, Stieber left the military as a conscientious objector and became a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War . In a later interview on the World Socialist Web Site , Stieber said that the attack "exposes so clearly

3432-429: The earlier engagement; would question the nature of the collateral-damage estimate carried out by the crew before the missiles were launched; and would wish to determine whether a missile attack was a proportionate response to the threat. A Pentagon spokesman said the video did not contradict the official finding that the helicopters' crew acted within the rules of engagement and said that the military's own inquiry backed

3510-507: The engagement was somehow justified as 'payback' for an earlier attack that led to the death of a soldier." The footage was released by the nonprofit media organization WikiLeaks during an April 5 press conference at the US National Press Club , and subsequently on a designated website titled Collateral Murder . WikiLeaks stated that the footage shows the "murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists". WikiLeaks identified

3588-454: The events". Hanzlik said images gathered during a military investigation of the incident show multiple weapons around the dead bodies in the courtyard, including at least three RPGs. "Our forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit the description of the men in that video. Their age, their weapons, and the fact that they were within the distance of the forces that had been engaged made it apparent these guys were potentially

3666-480: The fallacy of using war as a tool of foreign policy or as a way to supposedly spread 'freedom and democracy' around the world". Ethan McCord, a soldier who arrived on the scene after the attack, stated in an interview for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation : From being in the perspective of the Apache helicopter crew, I can see where a group of men gathering, when there's a firefight just

3744-568: The first day of Operation Ilaaj in Baghdad". Al Jazeera stated that the Army had received "reports of small arms fire", but were unable to positively identify the gunmen. Apache helicopters were called in by a soldier in the Humvee (Hotel 2–6) under attack from the same position used by Namir Noor-Eldeen to photograph the vehicle. According to a military review, soldiers in that company "had been under sporadic small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire since"

3822-440: The helicopter and fire two more missiles into the upper floors of the building WikiLeaks said in the preface to one of their videos of the incident that "some of the men appear to have been armed [although] the behavior of nearly everyone was relaxed" in the introductory text of the shorter video. Julian Assange said "permission to engage was given before the word 'RPG' was ever used". Politifact stated: "When Assange points out in

3900-399: The immediate area. Reuters also stated that local police described the attack as "random American bombardment". Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the deaths. They asked for an explanation of the confiscation of the journalists' two cameras, access to the on-board footage and voice communications from the helicopters involved, and access to the reports of the units involved in

3978-479: The incident, particularly logs of weapons taken from the scene. On July 25, 2007, during an off-the-record briefing in Baghdad by the U.S. military, two Reuters editors were shown "less than three minutes of video from the Apache’s gun camera, up to the exact moment it opened fire the first time." The editors asked to see the remaining footage so Reuters could check whether it had been edited or manipulated. Their request

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4056-410: The individuals in the building with weapons, go ahead and engage the building". As the pilot positions the helicopter to attack the building, two unarmed men walk towards, and perhaps into, the building. As the gunner fires the first missile, another man is seen walking along the street in front of the building. The missile hits the building, and the man is caught in the explosion. The crew then reposition

4134-503: The information might no longer exist. The Pentagon eventually blocked the FOIA request despite several follow-up requests by Reuters. An internal legal review by staff at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Iraq during July 2007 stated that the helicopters had attacked a number of armed insurgents within the rules of engagement , and that in an apparent case of civilian casualties two reporters working for Reuters had also been killed. The review

4212-415: The leak's source as "a number of military whistleblowers". Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the leaked audio and video. The military reported that it could not find its copy of the video. WikiLeaks released a 39-minute version, which shows all three incidents, and a 17-minute version, which shows only the first two incidents. Highlighted in

4290-477: The neighborhood and that one of the men was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade." Captain Jack Hanzlik, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command stated that the airstrike video "gives you a limited perspective, [it] only tells you a portion of the activity that was happening that day. Just from watching that video, people cannot understand the complex battles that occurred. You are seeing only a very narrow picture of

4368-495: The operation—described as "clearing their sector and looking for weapons caches"—began. The Air Weapons Team (AWT) of two Apache AH-64s from the 1st Cavalry Division had been requested by the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment (2–16), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, before July 12 to support Operation Ilaaj. Tasked to conduct escort, armed reconnaissance patrols, and counter-IED and counter-mortar operations,

4446-605: The other with an RPS-42 360-degree radar, 7.62 mm M134 minigun , and EO/IR sensors; both have the Modi II dismounted electronic countermeasures system and shoulder-fired Stingers. The indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract was signed in October 2021. On 4 April 2023, the United States included "counter-Unmanned Aerial System 30 mm gun trucks" as part of Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds during

4524-507: The people in the van have been separated, but they still deliberately target him. This is why we called it Collateral Murder . In the first example maybe it's collateral exaggeration or incompetence when they strafe the initial gathering, this is recklessness bordering on murder, but you couldn't say for sure that was murder. But this particular event—this is clearly murder. Stephen Colbert , in an interview with Assange in April 2010, asked him about

4602-438: The same M789 HEDP and NATO standard 30 mm ADEN/DEFA projectiles. The rate of fire is reduced to 200 rounds/minute and overall length decreased to 84.0 inches (213 cm). The chain gun can be installed in an enclosed turret on patrol boats and ground vehicles. The MAWS (Modular Advanced Weapon System) lightweight gun system, developed in partnership with the U.S. Navy , utilizes a remotely operated M230LF in an open mount. It

4680-406: The scene, and repeated their request to shoot, before they received permission to begin firing on the van and its occupants. Chmagh was killed along with three other men, while two children, not known to be in the van to the U.S. forces, were injured. The children, a girl and boy, suffered injuries. The girl suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and the boy a head injury. Just as the van

4758-405: The second airstrike a "plainly unjustified killing of a group of unarmed men carrying away an unarmed, seriously wounded man to safety". The Australian newspaper said the group was displaying "no obvious hostile action". In The Independent on April 8, 2010, human rights activist Joan Smith wrote that the engagements were like a game to the helicopter crew. She wrote that the co-pilot urged

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4836-402: The second strike, and two of Tomal's children were badly wounded. In a third strike, Apache pilots watched people, including some armed men, run into a building and attacked the building with several AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. According to Tom Raju, a reporter at CNN, "the soldiers of Bravo Company, 2–16 Infantry had been under fire all morning from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms on

4914-535: The site of the attack, a van stopped near Chmagh. The military said that the van was "fair game under Army rules", because it had no visible markings to suggest it was an ambulance or a protected vehicle. The Apache crew alerted the ground troops of the van and requested permission to engage the vehicle before the ground troops arrived. The Apache crew saw unarmed men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh. The Apache crew requested permission to engage, stating it "looks like [the men] possibly, picking up bodies and weapons" from

4992-414: The time was embedded with Bravo Company 2–16 Infantry, later covered the incidents of the day in his book, The Good Soldiers . At a February 2013 pretrial hearing, Manning stated that Finkel "was quoting, I feel in verbatim, the audio communications of the aerial weapons team crew". She said that she was "aghast" at Finkel's portrayal of the incident. "Reading his account," she explained, "one would believe

5070-463: The title: "You have edited this tape, and you have given it a title called 'Collateral Murder'. That's not leaking, that's a pure editorial." Assange responded: The promise we make to our sources is that not only will we defend them through every means that we have available – technologically, legally and politically – but we will try and get the maximum possible political impact for the material that they give to us. Colbert asked "So 'Collateral Murder'

5148-495: The troops arrive. That's a violation of the laws of war and of course what the mainstream media have omitted from their stories is this context. Publicity of the incident ballooned following the release of the footage. The event was covered by Al Jazeera English and Reuters , and later by The Washington Post , The New York Times , The Christian Science Monitor , the BBC , and CNN . Air-to-ground Air-to-ground weaponry

5226-460: The two helicopters left Camp Taji at 9:24 a.m. They arrived on station in New Baghdad at 9:53 a.m., where sporadic attacks on coalition forces continued. In the video on the morning of July 12, 2007, the crews of two United States Army AH-64 Apache helicopters observe a gathering of men near a section of Baghdad in the path of advancing U.S. ground troops. The crew estimates the group

5304-471: The van by simply firing a few warning shots versus completely obliterating the van and its occupants. On June 7, 2010, The New Yorker reported that Kristinn Hrafnsson , an investigative reporter who worked on the Collateral Murder video and later became a spokesman for WikiLeaks, said he had found the owner of the building involved in the incident. The owner told him that three families were living in

5382-401: The video Collateral Murder : And you can see that they also deliberately target Saaed, a wounded man there on the ground, despite their earlier belief that they didn't have the rules of engagement—that the rules of engagement did not permit them to kill Saeed when he was wounded. When he is rescued, suddenly that belief changed. You can see in this particular image he is lying on the ground and

5460-483: The video WikiLeaks produced made reference to the AK-47s and RPGs, but WikiLeaks said that ultimately they became unsure about the RPG, believing the long object could have been a camera tripod, so they decided not to point it out in the released version. Assange also said "it's ludicrous to allege that we have taken anything out of context in this video". U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized WikiLeaks for releasing

5538-403: The video a work of antiwar propaganda, WikiLeaks also released a version that didn't call attention to an Iraqi who was toting a rocket-propelled grenade and packaged the manipulated version under the tendentious rubric Collateral Murder ." The New York Times wrote that "Critics contend that the shorter video was misleading because it did not make clear that the attacks took place amid clashes in

5616-427: The video without providing any context. "These people can put out anything they want, and they're never held accountable for it. There's no before and there's no after". Gates said that the video provides the public with a view of warfare "as seen through a soda straw". Gates stated: "They're in a combat situation. The video doesn't show the broader picture of the firing that was going on at American troops. It's obviously

5694-548: The widow of the man who had been driving the van, and the mother of the children McCord had carried out, responded to the open letter in 2010: I can accept their apology, because they saved my children, and if it were not for them, maybe my two little children would be dead. I would like the American people and the whole world to understand what happened here in Iraq. We lost our country and our lives were destroyed. Bill Keller of The New York Times wrote, "But in its zeal to make

5772-463: Was denied at the briefing and they were told to seek access under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. Reuters requested a copy of the full video under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the same day. In a personal statement during her court-martial, Chelsea Manning stated that the military had access to the video, and was actively examining it, yet it told Reuters in response to the FOIA request that

5850-428: Was destroyed, U.S. ground troops made their final turn and arrived on the road with the van. The Apache crew then alerted the ground troops that they believed that they could see an injured child moving around inside the destroyed van. On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. When the helicopter pilots discover that they have killed

5928-790: Was intended for use on the AH-1S Cobra as the M230E1, but was later dropped. The M230 Chain Gun is used on the MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator . It is also the Area Weapon System on the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter , mounted on the chin turret. It uses a 2 hp (1.5 kW) electric motor to fire 30 mm (1.2 in) linkless ammunition at a rate of 625±25 rounds per minute. The air-cooled gun's practical rate of fire

6006-530: Was known for having leaked the Pentagon Papers to the media, said of the airstrike: It would be interesting to have someone speculate or tell us exactly what context would lead to justifying the killing that we see on the screen. As the killing goes on, you obviously would see the killing of men who are lying on the ground in an operation where ground troops are approaching and perfectly capable of taking those people captive, but meanwhile you're murdering before

6084-446: Was not released in full until 2010, after the video of the incident had been released by WikiLeaks. After the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement", WikiLeaks released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing the rules before, during, and after the attacks. Washington Post reporter David Finkel , who at

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