The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. That classified video created its own firestorm when the whistleblower site Wikileaks posted it April 5 on a website titled "Collateral Murder" and asserted that the attack was unprovoked. We have been speaking to whoever will listen, telling them that what was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. Stuff like that happens on a daily basis in Iraq. I was pretty distraught over the whole situation with the children. The majority of us aren't. "[4] 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 the neighborhood and that one of the men was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade. He opened his eyes when I was carrying him. "[31], In May 2011 the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival awarded the investigative film Collateral murder, Hellfire, done by Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks spokesperson, and Ingi Ingason, with the award for International Journalism and Human Rights. We were probably there on the roof for another four to five hours. After attending to the girl's wounds and handing her to a medic, McCord was ordered to take position on the roof but he returned to the van to find the boy moving his hand. ", The letter, which they hope to get to the family who lost their father and whose children were injured in the attack, states that they "are acknowledging our responsibility for bringing the battle to your neighborhood, and to your family. [22], 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, some armed with AKMs and RPGs. classified video created its own firestorm. It was more of a child who was frightened out of her mind. Ukraine Suffered More Wiper Malware in 2022 Than Anywhere, Ever. The ground controller responds, "If you've [positively identified] the individuals in the building with weapons, go ahead and engage the building". I did see a video on YouTube after the Wikileaks [ video ] came out, of the children being interviewed. [2][22] Pentagon officials told the Reuters news agency that U.S. military lawyers were reviewing the video and could reopen an investigation into the incident,[67] but a spokesperson later said that there were no plans to reopen the investigation. We did unto you what we would not want done to us. [Then I] took my children to school one day and I came home and sat down on the couch and turned on the TV with my coffee, and on the news I'm running across the screen with a child. The Washington Post has denied having any copy of the unedited video prior to WikiLeaks release of their edited version, and Finkel (who was on book leave from The Washington Post at the time) said that he has never made any statement about his sources for the story, except that it was "sourced from unclassified information and my presence in the area that day". [59], 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. [110], Mark Taylor, an international law expert and a director at the Fafo Institute for International Studies in Norway, told Al Jazeera "there's a case to be made that a war crime may have been committed." McCord, in New York for the festival premiere, told the story of what he experienced while saving two children wounded in the incident. Apache helicopters were called in by a soldier in the Humvee (Hotel 26) under attack from the same position used by Namir Noor-Eldeen to photograph the vehicle. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. [103], On August 21, 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment, reduction in rank from private first class to private, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge. He gave his view of the context of the killings: the Reuters guys walked into the hottest spot of a very hot morning. The men become obscured behind a building as the Apache moves around the group. [19], The team observed several individuals from this group, some possibly wounded, run into a large multistory building. James W. McCord Jr., a security expert who led a band of burglars into the shambles of the Watergate scandal and was the first to expose the White House crimes and cover-ups that precipitated the . [65][66] http://www.mediasanctuary.orghttp://www.wikileaks.org U.S. There is no bringing back all that was lost. [43], Assange responded to the investigation report released by the Army in an interview with Democracy Now!, stating that "the tone and language is all about trying to find an excuse for the activity. Home: Laytonsville, Maryland Served in: Baghdad (Rustamiyah) 07-08 Fort Riley, KS 06-07, 08-09, BACKGROUND ON ETHAN MCCORD: Branch of service: United States Army (USA) Unit: 1st ID Rank: Spc. [17], 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. Assange responded: Yes, absolutely Our promise to the public is that we will release the full source material. [32], On 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. That's when I started screaming, "The boy's alive! [63] The site stated on its Twitter account on January 8, 2010, that it had a copy of gunsight footage of the incidents. WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. He runs the girl to the Bradley. I did see a guy moving from a rooftop from one position to another with an AK-47, who was firing at us. It's obviously a hard thing to see. Ethan McCord, a 33-year-old Army specialist, was engaged in a firefight with insurgents in an Iraqi suburb in July 2007, when his platoon, part of Bravo Company, 2-16 Infantry, got orders to. When a congressman tried to jail him for his actions that day he . Fox News reported in 2010 that the rules of engagement in Iraq had not been changed since the incident occurred. They heard about something, they came to it and they just wantedfrom everything I've learned since, they were just there to get that side of the story. "[60], Early in 2010, the Internet whistleblower site WikiLeaks made a public request for assistance in decrypting a video it described as "US bomb strikes on civilians", specifically requesting access to supercomputer time. As the pilot positions the helicopter to attack the building, two unarmed men walk towards, and perhaps into, the building. Ethan McCord describes the moment he realised Sajad Toman was alive In July 2007, 19 people were killed when an Apache helicopter opened fire on a group of Iraqis whom the pilots had identified. Plus: Irans secret torture black sites, hacking a bank account with AI-generated voice, and Lance Bass unhinged encounter in Russia. [94], WikiLeaks said they were unable to confirm whether or not Manning was the source of the video, stating "we never collect personal information on our sources", but saying that "if [Manning is the] whistleblower then, without doubt, [s]he's a national hero"[95] and "we have taken steps to arrange for [her] protection and legal defence". It's very disturbing. I just kept telling him, "Don't die; don't die." You can see in this particular image he is lying on the ground and the people in the van have been separated, but they still deliberately target him. [81], Publicity of the incident ballooned following the release of the footage. Knowing that I was part of the system that took their father away from them and made them lose their house it's heartbreaking. Ethan Mccord and Josh Stieber deployed to Baghdad with Bravo Company 2-16 in 2007. [61] The longer video shows the third attack, in which Hellfire missiles were fired into a building.[43]. [18] Al Jazeera stated that the Army had received "reports of small arms fire", but were unable to positively identify the gunmen. "[88] McCord also recalled being ordered to "kill every motherfucker on the street" in the event of an attack on their convoy. According to Tom Raju, a reporter at CNN, "the soldiers of Bravo Company, 216 Infantry had been under fire all morning from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms on the first day of Operation Ilaaj in Baghdad". WikiLeaks identified the leak's source as "a number of military whistleblowers". He added, "I think what this video shows is really a case that challenges whether the laws of war are strict enough. The soldier, Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military and has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq War. He's no longer in the Army. [43] It concluded that an investigating officer would want to know how the armed men were identified as combatants from 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. He condemned and reported the massacre as soon as it happened. [But] I was actually starting to get kind of better. [32] The legal review carried out by 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. [56] U.S. forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Scott Bleichwehl later stated: "There is no question that coalition forces were clearly engaged in combat operations against a hostile force". I was trying to wash it off in my room. We did unto you what we would not want done to us.". [18] The report recommends encouraging journalists in Iraq to wear special vests to identify themselves, and to keep the U.S. military updated about their whereabouts. Those guys could have just been protecting their area". [92], On February 28, 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 specified charges. McCord: I have never seen anybody being shot by a 30-millimeter round before. "Reading his account," she explained, "one would believe the engagement was somehow justified as 'payback' for an earlier attack that led to the death of a soldier. The flood of emotions came back. The crew then reposition the helicopter and fire two more missiles into the upper floors of the building[44], 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. [18] A long shadow cast on the ground by a telephoto lens on Noor-Eldeen's camera is misidentified by the pilot as an additional RPG aimed at him and a U.S. Army Humvee directly below his aircraft. McCord's courage and integrity has nothing to do with his US army training. [18][24][25][26][27] While the two are carrying media cards, a military officer claimed they were not wearing distinctive clothing identifying themselves as such. [19], As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. More and more Americans are taking responsibility for what was done in our name. You are seeing only a very narrow picture of the events". I think it is good that they're putting this stuff out there. She wrote that the co-pilot urged 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". WikiLeaks also does not point out that at least one man was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. Since then, McCord has been receiving threats to him and his family on a regular basis. Ethan McCord was a member of the military unit in "Collateral Murder" - the Wikileaks video showing 12 Iraqis being killed from a US helicopter.He rescued the two children severely wounded in the attack and is now speaking out to corroborate the Collateral Murder video. Responsibility for civilian deaths in such encounters rests with those who violate the rules of war. They're smoking you, they're making you tired. You can hear the medic saying on the video, "There's nothing I can do here, she needs to be evac'd." "[111] An article at Gawker stated that Reuters reporter Luke Baker had written an article claiming that the airstrikes may have been war crimes, but Reuters refused to run the story. The first real serious doubt, where I could no longer justify to myself being in Iraq or serving in the Army, was on that day in July 2007. They were stating that these people had no weapons whatsoever, that they were just carrying cameras. "I grabbed him and ran to the Bradley myself". It's painful to see, especially when you learn after the fact what was going on. They wrote that:[71][72][73][74]. [42] According to the internal legal review, the helicopters engaged a group of armed insurgents, and that some were seen entering a nearby building. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. They were destroyed. Both children were said to have been evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via Forward Operating Base Loyalty, then transferred to an Iraqi medical facility the next day. McCord states he was yelled at for not "pulling security". The Push to Ban TikTok in the US Isnt About Privacy. Seven men were killed, including Noor-Eldeen and Chmagh, with three others being wounded. Many soldiers felt threatened just by the fact that you were looking at them, so they fired their weapons on anybody that was looking at them because they (I . McCord: I doubt that they were a part of that firefight. Two men assisting in the rescue effort were from a group of five standing at an intersection seen in the upper right corner of the video when the Reuters employees arrive in the courtyard reported to Apaches as being a second position combatants were using to attack the Humvee. Gabriel Schoenfeld, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, said of the airstrike: It is precisely the presence of weapons, including RPGs, that goes a long distance toward explaining why cameramen for Reuterspointing television cameras around corners in a battle zonewere readily mistaken by our gunships for insurgents. And I picked him up and started running with him over to the Bradley. However, I do know some soldiers went in to clear that building afterwards and there were some people with weapons in there, but there was also a family of four that was killed. When Bravo Company arrived at the scene, they reported finding two RPGs and an AK-47 or AKM. The video doesn't show the broader picture of the firing that was going on at American troops. All rights reserved. Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. Personally, I believe the first attack on the group standing by the wall was appropriate, was warranted by the rules of engagement. [17] Julian Assange said "permission to engage was given before the word 'RPG' was ever used". He later sought help for psychological trauma, but was ridiculed by his NCO and told that if he were to go to the mental health officer, "there would be repercussions". There had been running gun battles. The soldier, Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military and has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq War. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. McCord: I wasn't around that building when it happened. [45][114], "Cameramen and armed insurgents" (all captions from the Army report), "Cameraman peering around corner of wall", "Pictures taken by ground forces after reaching the site". Ethan McCord: Right. 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