Iraq
WikiLeaks releases video of airstrike that killed two journalistsPosted Apr 9 2010
WikiLeaks publicized footage of a controversial 2007 airstrike that killed Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and his colleague Saeed Chmagh, 40, April 5.
Reuters made an attempt to obtain the footage through a freedom of information request, but the Pentagon refused, according to The Guardian.
The video is from the viewpoint of one of the U.S. Apache helicopters involved and documents radio transmissions during the attack. Noor-Eldeen and Chmagh are identified among the group being watched with their cameras strapped behind their shoulders, talking on their cell phones. According to a sworn statement released by the U.S. military, a soldier claimed 11 individuals had AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades and gained permission to fire.
After the initial attack, a van arrives to pick up the injured man believed to be Chmagh. The radio dialogue says the men from the van were also collecting weapons, giving the soldiers reason to fire, which is not apparent from the video.
Though it is not believed that the U.S. military deliberately targeted the journalists, CPJ has found that similar cases of civilian deaths “were either not fully investigated or the military failed to publicly disclose its findings.”
“This tragic incident was investigated at the time by the brigade involved and the investigation found that forces involved were not aware of the presence of the two reporters, and that all evidence available supported the conclusion by those forces that they were engaging armed insurgents, not civilians,” Maj. Shawn S. Turner told CPJ.
Two children, who were in the van, were also injured as a result of the attack.