WASHINGTON – A video circulating on the Internet that shows U.S. troops firing repeatedly on a group of men — some of whom were unarmed — walking down a Baghdad street is authentic, a senior U.S. military official confirmed Monday.

The official said the video posted on Wikileaks.org was of a July 12, 2007, shooting by Army helicopters in the New Baghdad District of eastern Baghdad.

Among those believed to have been killed in that attack was Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and his driver Saeed Chmagh, 40. Two children also were wounded.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the video, said the military could not confirm the identities of the Reuters employees in the film.

The Pentagon would not confirm the video’s authenticity on the record, despite repeated requests from The Associated Press.

“At this time, we are working to verify the source of the video, its veracity, and when or where it was recorded,” U.S. military headquarters in Iraq said in a statement late Monday.

But the military provided redacted copies of portions of an inquiry into the incident, but without confirming that the incident described in those documents is the same one posted by Wikileaks.

According to a July 19 summary of the investigation, U.S. troops acted appropriately. Reuters employees were likely “intermixed among the insurgents” and difficult to distinguish because of their equipment, the document states.

The incident has been reported before, but the video had not been released.

In the incident, soldiers flying attack helicopters were called in to assist ground troops who had been pinned down by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

According to U.S. officials, the pilots arrived at the scene to find a group of men approaching the fight with what appeared to be AK-47s and at least one rocket-propelled grenade.

A military investigation later concluded that what was thought to be an RPG was really a long-range photography lens; likewise, the camera looked like an AK-47.

Wikileaks.org posts video and documents passed along by anonymous sources.

The shooters can be heard asking for permission to engage, and one says “Light ’em up!”

Some men drop immediately, while at least one can be seen scrambling to get away.

“Ah, yeah, look at those dead bastards. Nice,” one shooter says.

The helicopters later destroy a vehicle that arrived on the scene to help a wounded man. When more ground forces arrive, the video shows what appears to be a child being carried from the vehicle and U.S. troops saying the child should be sent to a local hospital.

“Well, it’s their fault bringing their kids into the battle,” a cockpit voice can be heard saying.

 

Copy the Story Link