She continued, "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants". In 2009, Stieber left the military as a conscientious objector and became a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. Home: Wichita, Kansas, AN OPEN LETTER OF RECONCILIATION & RESPONSIBILITY TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE From Current and Former Members of the U.S. Military. It's obviously a hard thing to see. 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. [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." They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. "Our forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit the description of the men in that video. "[76], 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. You don't just take somebody's life and then go on about your business for the rest of the day. Josh states that these casualties demonstrate the impact of U.S. military policy on both the civilians and the soldiers on the ground. When I saw their faces, I was relieved, but I was just heartbroken. In refusing to recognize this, the US military fails both its own soldiers and their victims. The video makes plain that in this incident, as in almost all military encounters in both Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers are up against forces that do not wear uniformsa violation of international law precisely because it places innocent civilians in jeopardy. And where the soldier said [in the video], "Well, you shouldn't take your kids to battle." After the non-combatants were clear Crazyhorse 1/8 engaged the targets. [61], Washington Post reporter David Finkel, who at the time was embedded with Bravo Company 216 Infantry, later covered the incidents of the day in his book, The Good Soldiers. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. Soldier on 2007 Apache Attack: What I Saw", "Redacted internal US Army report: "Investigation into Civilian Casualties Resulting from an Engagement on 12 July 2007 in the New Baghdad District of Baghdad", "WikiLeaks releases video of slaughter in Iraq", "Military shooting of Reuters men online", "Joan Smith: Now we see what war does to those who wage it", "US soldier on Baghdad airstrike: "Not out of the ordinary in Iraq", "2 soldiers in 'Collateral Murder' video apologize. "I grabbed him and ran to the Bradley myself". Solemnly and Sincerely, Josh Stieber, former specialist, U.S. Army Ethan McCord, former specialist, U.S. Army. You are seeing only a very narrow picture of the events". "These people can put out anything they want, and they're never held accountable for it. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. [28] Noor-Eldeen has a camera and Chmagh is talking on his mobile phone. Plus: Irans secret torture black sites, hacking a bank account with AI-generated voice, and Lance Bass unhinged encounter in Russia. 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. [20] According to a military review, soldiers in that company "had been under sporadic small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire since" the operationdescribed as "clearing their sector and looking for weapons caches"began. [65][66] The company was charged with clearing their sector of any small armed forces, and had been under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Their 43-year-old father, Saleh, had been driving them to a class when he spotted one of the wounded men moving in the street and drove over to help him, only to become a victim of the Apache guns. I know the scene by heart; it's burned into my head. Wired's Kim Zetter reached McCord at his home in Kansas. On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. This is the problem that we're speaking out on as far as the rules of engagement. We acknowledge our part in the deaths and injuries of your loved ones as we tell Americans what we were trained to do and what we carried out in the name of "god and country". The co-pilot/gunner for Crazyhorse 1/9 spotted three individuals near this building get into a red SUV and drive away to the west. [89], When interviewed by Wired, McCord stated that he supported WikiLeaks in releasing the video, with some qualifications: "When it was first released I don't think it was done in the best manner that it could have been. That's when I started screaming, "The boy's alive! When a congressman tried to jail him for his actions that day he . A third, an infantry solider named Ethan McCord, was one of the men who had scooped up the bodies of the wounded children in the apache helicopter attack, what is now known as the "Collateral. I think it is good that they're putting this stuff out there. [19], As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. [25] 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. Wired.com: Was anyone moving when you got there other than the two children? "The helicopters were approximately a mile and a half away and they were zooming in on these guys . [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". We did unto you what we would not want done to us.". "[88] In this interview, McCord reports that repercussions for seeking mental health help could include being labeled as a "malingerer", a crime under U.S. military law. [16][18][30] After the lead helicopter fires, one of the crew shouts "Hahaha. Just over a year ago, WikiLeaks released footage from a gunsight camera of an Apache helicopter engaged in an attack that killed two journalists and eight ci. McCord was captured in a video shot from one helicopter as he ran frantically to a military vehicle with Sajad in his arms seeking medical care. McCord, together with another former member of the company, Josh Stieber, have addressed an open "Letter of Reconciliation" to the Iraqi people taking responsibility for their role in this. That's why so many soldiers come back home and they're no longer in the situations where they have other things to think about or other people to joke about what happened and they explode. 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 the Iraqi People apologising for the events in the video. When the helicopter pilots discover that they have killed a number of Iraqi civilians and wounded two children, one of them is heard to say: "Well, its their fault for bringing their kids into a battle".[41]. Well in all actuality, we brought the battle to your kids. 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. I was also told that there would be repercussions if I was to go to mental health. I went back outside to the van, and that's when the boy took, like, a labored, breath. [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. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Fox News later stated that "although it could be argued AK-47 rifles are common household items, RPGs are not". He condemned and reported the massacre as soon as it happened. [116] The military did not include the attack on the building in their report. [97] On July 30, Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge, that of aiding the enemy, for giving secrets to WikiLeaks. BACKGROUND ON JOSH STIEBER: Branch of service: United States Army (USA) Unit: 1st ID Rank: Spc. Noor-Eldeen fails to photograph the Apache but three pictures of the U.S. Humvee appear on his camera's memory card when it was recovered by U.S. soldiers. If there's anything I can to do help, I would be more than happy to. [84], Finkel had reported the day in his book The Good Soldiers,[62] including conversations which closely matched the subsequently leaked video footage. Towards the end of the show, the star actor became an active member of the Screen Actors Guild and after he left "Adam-12." There's also some soldiers who joke about it [as a] coping mechanism. [58] Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the deaths. There had been running gun battles. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. WikiLeaks also does not point out that at least one man was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. [17] Politifact stated: "When Assange points out in 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. [30], Assange stated that some of the press had not reported on the third airstrike, in which three Hellfire missiles were fired onto an apartment complex, which only appears in the longer unedited version of the two videos.[31]. [49], On Democracy Now!, Josh Stieber, who was at the time assigned to Bravo Company 216, said that although it's natural to "judge or criticize the soldiers", in fact "this is how [they] were trained to act". I've spoken with other soldiers who were there. I was diagnosed with chronic, severe PTSD. [62] 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". I think that the bigger picture is what are we doing there? 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. There's no before and there's no after". 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. [113], The report states that at least two members of the group which were first fired on were armed, that two RPGs and one AKM or AK-47 rifle could be seen in the helicopter video, and that these weapons were picked up by the follow-up U.S. ground troops. 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. I didn't know if he was telling me that just to get me to shut up and to do my job or if he really found something out. That classified video created its own firestorm. Reuters also stated that local police described the attack as "random American bombardment". But you guys did have a firefight a couple of blocks away. Tasked to conduct escort, armed reconnaissance patrols, and counter-IED and counter-mortar operations, the two helicopters left Camp Taji at 9:24a.m. This is urban combat and we're taking the war to children and women and innocents. Soldier on 2007 Apache Attack: What I Saw, Ethan McCord had just returned from dropping his children at school earlier this month, when he turned on the TV news to see grainy black-and-white video footage of a soldier running from a bombed-out van with a child in his arms. So I just sucked it up and tried to move on with everything. Fox News reported in 2010 that the rules of engagement in Iraq had not been changed since the incident occurred. However, the long version of the video shows that this van had already been targeted by one Apache (Crazyhorse 1/8), prior to the second strike, as it traveled south toward the Reuters employees who were simultaneously targeted by the other Apache (Crazyhorse 1/9) as they walked with the group of men north on the same road toward the van. She had a stomach wound? [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". She concluded that command structures need to be in place to identify "combatants with serious psychological problems". [25] Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com said that "the vast majority of the men were clearly unarmed". Just from watching that video, people cannot understand the complex battles that occurred. Personally, I believe the first attack on the group standing by the wall was appropriate, was warranted by the rules of engagement. It was sent back for more reporting in an effort to incorporate a wider range of experts. I just kept telling him, "Don't die; don't die." 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. Wired.com: How much sniper fire were you getting? A draft version of 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 responded:[69][70]. 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. Seven men (including Noor-Eldeen) were killed during this first strike; Saeed Chmagh, who was injured, later died in a hospital. It's very disturbing. They were destroyed. One of the first soldiers on the scene after the air attack, Ethan McCord, is now the subject of a short documentary, Incident in New Baghdad, which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The owner told him that three families were living in the building and seven residents had died, including his wife and daughter. In the first strike, the crews of two Apaches directed 30mm cannon fire at a group of ten Iraqi men, including some armed,[17][18][19] standing less than 100 meters away from U.S. ground troops at a location where insurgents earlier that day had attacked an American Humvee with small arms fire. "[88] McCord also recalled being ordered to "kill every motherfucker on the street" in the event of an attack on their convoy. Ad Choices, U.S. [96] Her trial on the remaining charges began on June 3, 2013. In the video, you can clearly see that they did have weapons to the trained eye." He opened his eyes when I was carrying him. They also found two Canon EOS digital cameras with telephoto lenses. It was the video that put WikiLeaks on the map: "Collateral Murder" turned the tide of war in Iraq and landed Private first class Bradley Manning in military detention. 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. When Bravo Company arrived at the scene, they reported finding two RPGs and an AK-47 or AKM. And cracking jokes is a way of pushing that stuff down. 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 a threat. It was a scene that had played repeatedly in his mind the last three [], All the Settings You Should Change on Your New Samsung Phone, Its Time to Fall in Love With Nuclear FusionAgain, Give Your Back a Break With Our Favorite Office Chairs, Fat, Sugar, Salt Youve Been Thinking About Food All Wrong, Apple Users Need to Update iOS Now to Patch Serious Flaws. I don't think that [the] big picture is whether or not [the Iraqis who were killed] had weapons. . ", "Hudson Institute > Warfare Through 'a Soda Straw', "Gates assails Internet group over attack video", "WikiLeaks releases video depicting US forces killing of two Reuters journalists in Iraq", "Leaked Video Depicts Civilian Deaths In Iraq", "Video shows death of 2 Reuters employees in Baghdad attack", "WaPo denies allegation it sat on WikiLeaks video", "Two members of the company in the WikiLeaks video speak out", "US soldier in WikiLeaks massacre video: 'I relive this every day', "Former US soldier speaks (interview transcript)", "US intelligence analyst arrested over security leaks", "U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in WikiLeaks Video Probe", "Report: Soldier arrested for allegedly leaking 'Collateral Murder' helicopter video to WikiLeaks", "Bradley Manning pleads guilty to some Wikileaks charges", "Bradley Manning Found Guilty of 19 Counts, Not Guilty of Aiding The Enemy", "Bradley Manning Found Not Guilty of Aiding the Enemy", "Army Pfc. [57], Reuters reported that it could locate no witnesses who had seen gunmen in the immediate area. One second later he screams, "He's got an RPG!" That stays with you. After the video was released, one of the soldiers involved in the incident, Ethan McCord, stated the following: "If you feel threatened in any way, you're able to engage that person. Ukraine Suffered More Wiper Malware in 2022 Than Anywhere, Ever. We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months. But youyou talked about the fog of war. Ethan and Josh claim that though their unit was following the Rules of Engagement that day, they are taking responsibility for their role in the incident and initiating a dialogue around it; "Though we have acted with cold hearts far too many times, we have not forgotten our actions towards you. [56], The Washington Post reported it was unclear whether the journalists were killed by U.S. fire or by shooting from the targeted Iraqis. Josh Stieber was in the same company but was not there that day, though he contributed to the your pain, and the pain of your community on many other occasions. When he is rescued, suddenly that belief changed. Oh well", and a minute later continued, "Well, it's their fault for bringing kids into a battle". I have a huge place in my heart for children, having some of my own. That's a violation of the laws of war and of course what the mainstream media have omitted from their stories is this context. [18][19][25] 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. (The quote begins at 12:22 in video, and the shot that killed Saaed is at 12:25)", "Stephen Colbert Interviews WikiLeaks Founder", "US veterans write apology letter to Iraqis following WikiLeaks video", "We killed your father I'm heartbroken", "Widow of Iraqi killed by US troops in video 'accepts apology' after letter", "Airstrike Video Brings Attention to WikiLeaks Site", "Elliptical vs. treadmill: Which will give you the better workout? Daniel Ellsberg, a former United States military analyst who 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. Now, as far as rules of engagement, [Iraqis] are not supposed to pick up the wounded. 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. I would like the American people and the whole world to understand what happened here in Iraq. Highlighted in the 17-minute version of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. McCord: She had a stomach wound and she had glass in her eyes and in her hair. Gates said that the video provides the public with a view of warfare "as seen through a soda straw". [58], 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 Apaches gun camera, up to the exact moment it opened fire the first time." He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG". We lost our country and our lives were destroyed. [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. The soldier, Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military and has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq War. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. Series of air-to-ground attacks conducted in New Baghdad during the Iraqi insurgency, An AH-64 Apache helicopter, the type used in the attack, Arrest, convictions and sentencing of Manning, Attack on personnel and a van per U.S. Army report account, Attack on building per U.S. Army report account, Julian Assange's comments regarding U.S. Army report, List of coalition military operations of the Iraq War 2007, "In Disclosing Secret Documents, WikiLeaks Seeks 'Transparency', "Video Shows U.S. She was crying. The majority of us aren't. After the incident, we went back to the FOB [forward operating base] and that's when I was in my room. Vehicle; "When I saw those kids, all I could picture was my kids back home". However, I don't feel that the attack on the [rescue] van was necessary. [61] Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the leaked audio and video. McCord's courage and integrity has nothing to do with his US army training. [55], 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". For about 5 to 10 minutes the team diverted its attention to this vehicle. That's not leaking, that's a pure editorial." Advertisement. [108][109], In a June 7, 2010, article in The New Yorker, Raffi Khatchadourian addressed several issues involved in determining the legality of the attacks, including "proportionality", "positive identification" ("reasonable certainty" that the target has hostile intent), and "the treatment of casualties during an ongoing military operation". The Push to Ban TikTok in the US Isnt About Privacy. But you're not supposed to do that in Iraq. The film received an Oscar nomination in January. Ethan McCord had just returned from dropping his children at school earlier this month, when he turned on the TV news to see grainy black-and-white video footage of a soldier running from a bombed-out van with a child in his arms. McCord: I have never seen anybody being shot by a 30-millimeter round before. 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. [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. Josh . Ethan was on the ground at the scene of the shooting, and is seen on the video rushing one of the injured children to a U.S. Ethan applied for mental health support following this incident and was denied by his commanding officer. Wired.com: Do you support Wikileaks in releasing this video? How is this guy supposed to [decide] should I stop and pick them up, or is the military going to shoot me? Those guys could have just been protecting their area". 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. "[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. The Apache crew saw unarmed[25] men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh. [117], In June 2011 the Federation of German Scientists (VDW) awarded the "Whistleblower Award" to the person who made the video Collateral Murder public via WikiLeaks. And I picked him up and started running with him over to the Bradley. 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". Seven men were killed, including Noor-Eldeen and Chmagh, with three others being wounded. [19], The events between the attack on the van and the attack on the building (approximately 30 minutes) were not captured on the leaked video footage. They wrote that:[71][72][73][74]. 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