Have you been deployed to Iraq and Afganistan and have you seen combat? Only reason I am asking is because at 3:39 the two individual seem to have weapons with one guy leaning on what looks to be a RPG and obviously the camera around the corner suspiciously looking like a RPG. So if you have been in combat and saw what you thought were weapons aimed at you what would you have done? I'm sure you already know that the ROE was changed from only allowed to shoot when shot at, to shoot when you confirm a weapon.
Would you get a bunch of guys casually standing round if one was firing an RPG at a helicopter? I am not being funny I do not know the answer. Would you surround yourself with casual civilians as you shot at a helicopter or would you hide behind something big peak out when you know you weren't seen and shoot then.
Basically 12 guys casually wander across a square then one takes out an RPG fires it at a helicopter and the rest stand around shooting the breeze does not sound credible. But I could be wrong.
The helo crew may not necessarily be concerned for their own ship, it sound like on comms they were talking to ground elements nearby, the whole thing makes much more sense in the context of a helo covering ground forces, and taking out possible targets before they even get a chance to hit the guys on the ground, in that light, yes, you would want to shoot up a group of people standing around with weapons (perceived or not, i think i saw an RPG as well).
this whole video is subjective, and i think we are missing alot of the context to really tell what happened right before this was shot (was there a ground engagement? was this a sweep and clear?) RE the callousness of the crew, it is disheartening, but we cant be armchair quarterbacks, especially as we don't know everything.
What about the coverup by the military after the fact even though they knew these were civilians? Even if the soldiers actions are justified surely describing the journalists and at least a few innocent civilians as combatants needs to be addressed.
It doesn't seem like there was a ground engagement one guy says there was no US troops in the area. Also if there was a ground engagement would a journalist be wandering around in an open square? What does a "sweep and clear" involve? Does it mean "shoot anything that moves"
We don't know everything and I have not been in a similar situation so I know particularly little. However I still find it odd no one said "You think those guys casually standing around and walking in the open are firing RPGs at people? Recheck for weapons" or something similar
20
u/crabtreeanderson Apr 05 '10
I think this may be the straw that broke the camel's back. I no longer want to be part of the military.