No review of 2007 helo assault planned - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

No review of 2007 helo assault planned

A leaked video that depicts an AH-64 Apache helicopter assault that killed two journalists and injured two children has churned a debate over the attack’s legality. But U.S. Central Command says it has no plans to reopen an inquiry.

The command has since released redacted copies of the military’s reports on the 2007 incident in east Baghdad. They concluded the aircrew mistook a photographer’s camera for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and that the journalists “made no effort to visibly display their status as press” while accompanying armed insurgents.

“U.S. Central Command has no current plans to reinvestigate or review this combat action,” said Rear Adm. Hal Pittman, CentCom director of communication.

The July 12, 2007, video, posted online by the organization WikiLeaks on April 5, shows the gun-camera view of a 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, helicopter as it opened fire on a small crowd and on a van that came to assist the wounded. Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and driver Saeed Chmagh were in the crowd, and the two children were in the van.

The scenes are graphic, the soldiers use crude language and the mood is tense.

As the helicopter hovers, rotating counterclockwise over the courtyard, Eldeen peers around the edge of a building with his camera. The soldiers in the helicopter mistake the camera, pointed at a ground unit, for an RPG.

At the same time, however, though it’s blurry, a close viewing of the video shows two individuals carrying what could be weapons.

The pilots focus on the group and say, “Yes on an individual with an RPG; he’s getting ready to fire.”

After getting permission, the Apache crew lets loose with its 30mm chain gun. The men on the ground scramble. When the dust clears, the courtyard is littered with eight bodies.

The gun-camera next turns to a wounded man who is struggling to crawl away, later identified as Chmagh, the driver.

“C’mon buddy, all you got to do is pick up a weapon,” says a soldier, seeking clearance to start firing again.

A van arrives, its unarmed passengers begin to help Chmagh inside, and they all become targets.

“C’mon, let us shoot,” says one of the soldiers, who is cleared moments later and fires.

Soldiers from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, arrive to discover two wounded children in the heavily damaged van. They radio for the children to be taken to medical aid.

David Schlesinger, Reuters’ editor-in-chief, said: “I would welcome a thorough new investigation. Reuters from the start has called for transparency and an objective inquiry so that all can learn lessons from this tragedy.”

Amnesty International has also called for a new investigation of the incident, asking if U.S. forces took “necessary precautions” to spare civilians.

“This highly disturbing video appears to show that after the initial attack, U.S. troops opened fire on people seeking to assist a wounded man, injuring two children, and killing several more people,” said Malcolm Smart of Amnesty International.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has also asked that the incident be investigated.

“This footage is deeply disturbing and reminds us of what journalists in war zones undergo to bring us the news,” said Joel Simon, CPJ’s executive director.

Initial investigations were done by the units involved, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and the 1st Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

The 2nd BCT’s report notes that the helicopter was supporting ground maneuver elements of Operation Ilaaj, in which troops were clearing the area of insurgents and weapons caches. B Company had been under sporadic small-arms and RPG fire since the operation began at dawn, according to the report.

The Reuters employees were with a group 100 meters from B Company when the Apache opened fire.

The report, in still pictures from the video, identifies RPGs and assault rifles in the hands of the men who were killed. Troops found RPG ammunition near the bodies of the men.

The report says the helicopter crew’s confusion of Eldeen’s camera for an RPG appeared justified.

“Due to the furtive nature of his movements, the cameraman gave every appearance of preparing to fire an RPG on U.S. soldiers,” the report reads.

According to the 1st Cav’s report, these movements conveyed “hostile intent,” confirmed by the sighting of assault weapons and RPGs.

Whether or not the soldiers acted legally, the footage ultimately adds up to a propaganda victory for America’s adversaries, said Joel Harding, director of the Information Operations Institute at the Association of Old Crows. “Every Apache pilot, every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine has to realize the information effects of everything they say or do,” Harding said. “And that’s a sobering thought for a 25-year-old pilot: ‘I could embarrass the United States, I could bring death and dishonor.’ ”

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