19. Wikileaks - Collateral Murder By U.S. Soldiers

Collateral Murder
Wikileak video COLLATERAL MURDER is an eye-opener.

On July 6, 2010, Private Bradley Manning, a 22 year old intelligence analyst with the United States Army in Baghdad, was charged with disclosing this video (after allegedly speaking to an unfaithful journalist). The whistleblower behind the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg, has called Mr. Manning a 'hero'. He is currently imprisoned in Kuwait. The Apache crew and those behind the cover up depicted in the video have yet to be charged. To assist Private Manning, please see bradleymanning.org.

5th April 2010 10:44 EST WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad -- including two Reuters news staff.

Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-sight, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.


The U.S. military claimed the victims died in a battle that took place between U.S. forces and insurgents.

"There is no question that coalition forces were clearly engaged in combat operations against a hostile force."

- Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Bleichwehi, spokesman for U.S. forces in Baghdad.

Among the dead were two Reuters employees - Saeed Chmagh, a respected Reuters driver and assistant and Namir Noor-Eldeen. Namir, aged 22 came from a family of journalists and was considered one of the best war photographers in Iraq.


As I watched these videos, I was filled with a growing disgust, not just for the cold-blooded murder - and make no mistake, it was murder, but at the contempt exhibited by the U.S. soldiers and their behaviour. They wanted to kill these people, they could barely wait for the signal to finish off the wounded man lying on the ground.

They, and their bosses are despicable and morally reprehensible.

It was after viewing these that I felt nothing but scorn for a government that covers its wrong doings and hounds a man for showing the world the truth.