[Then] we were just told to move to this [other] location. "[112], On April 5, 2010, the same day as the release of the video footage by WikiLeaks, the United States Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, released a collection of documents including two investigative reports. They were stating that these people had no weapons whatsoever, that they were just carrying cameras. 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. [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". They request permission to fire a missile at the building, describing it as "abandoned" or "under construction". McCord admits that she was sad to go because she had been there for a decade and a half, but that "it wasn't the end of the world" and that she wasn't worried for "a nanosecond" that . "Our forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit the description of the men in that video. Wired.com: How much sniper fire were you getting? The Wikileaks videos also do not reveal the hundreds upon hundreds of cases in which American forces refrain from attacking targets precisely because civilians are in harm's way.[80]. [2][22] Pentagon officials told the Reuters news agency that U.S. military lawyers were reviewing the video and could reopen an investigation into the incident,[67] but a spokesperson later said that there were no plans to reopen the investigation. Colbert asked "So 'Collateral Murder' is to get political impact?" Reuters responded, "It is absolutely untrue that this story was spiked. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The review was not released in full until 2010, after the video of the incident had been released by WikiLeaks. 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. New details reveal that Beijing-backed hackers targeted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, adding to a string of attacks in the region. There's no easy way to kill somebody. [43], Assange responded to the investigation report released by the Army in an interview with Democracy Now!, stating that "the tone and language is all about trying to find an excuse for the activity. The Washington Post has denied having any copy of the unedited video prior to WikiLeaks release of their edited version, and Finkel (who was on book leave from The Washington Post at the time) said that he has never made any statement about his sources for the story, except that it was "sourced from unclassified information and my presence in the area that day". Soldier Ethan McCord speaking about the civilian massacre documented in WikiLeaks's April 2010 vid. Plus: Irans secret torture black sites, hacking a bank account with AI-generated voice, and Lance Bass unhinged encounter in Russia. [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. The soldier, Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military and has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq War. Describing doubts over his initial enthusiasm in Iraq, McCord said that "I didnt understand why people were throwing rocks at us, why I was being shot at and why we're being blown up, when I have it in my head that I was here to help these people. I did see a guy moving from a rooftop from one position to another with an AK-47, who was firing at us. [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". Please accept our apology, our sorrow, our care, and our dedication to change from the inside out. That's a violation of the laws of war and of course what the mainstream media have omitted from their stories is this context. . They also found 10-year-old Sajad Mutashar and his five-year-old sister Doaha covered in blood in a van. And With Reason", July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike radio traffic, US intelligence analyst arrested over Wikileaks video, WikiLeaks editor on Apache combat video: No excuse for US killing civilians, Families of Victims of 2007 US Helicopter Killing React to Leaked Video, Ethan McCord Describes Emotional Toll of Witnessing Killings, 'Collateral Murder' in Baghdad Anything But, Use of white phosphorus by the United States, United States and the International Criminal Court, A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, "The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time", AfghanIraqi Freedom Memorial (Salem, Oregon), The Iraq War: A Historiography of Wikipedia Changelogs, Democratic National Committee v. Russian Federation, WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=July_12,_2007,_Baghdad_airstrike&oldid=1140602029, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Press reports of the number killed vary from 12, Representation (including audio) by Banksy, October 9, 2013. WikiLeaks identified the leak's source as "a number of military whistleblowers". [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. The Apache crew then alerted the ground troops that they believed that they could see an injured child moving around inside the destroyed van. It's obviously a hard thing to see. Smoked is basically like you're doing pushups a lot, you're doing sit-ups crunches and flutter kicks. Home: Laytonsville, Maryland Served in: Baghdad (Rustamiyah) 07-08 Fort Riley, KS 06-07, 08-09, BACKGROUND ON ETHAN MCCORD: Branch of service: United States Army (USA) Unit: 1st ID Rank: Spc. This is his account of what he saw. Using short sentences, similar punctuation, or using the same words frequently as well as using Grammarly can boost your content as AI written. Lying dead on a street were inanimate objects that turned out to be. He opened his eyes when I was carrying him. 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. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. Josh Stieber was not at the scene of the shooting but says similar incidents happened throughout his 14-month tour; "The acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war." Both children were said to have been evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via Forward Operating Base Loyalty, then transferred to an Iraqi medical facility the next day. 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. But this particular eventthis is clearly murder. ", "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. She said that she was "aghast" at Finkel's portrayal of the incident. McCord: She had a stomach wound and she had glass in her eyes and in her hair. There is no bringing back all that was lost. The military said that the van was "fair game under Army rules" , because it had no visible markings to suggest it was an ambulance or a protected vehicle. [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]. And where the soldier said [in the video], "Well, you shouldn't take your kids to battle." 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. I know the van, I know the faces of everybody that was there that day. We did unto you what we would not want done to us.". "[4] The New York Times wrote that "Critics contend that the shorter video was misleading because it did not make clear that the attacks took place amid clashes in the neighborhood and that one of the men was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade. 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". Wired.com: What did you understand that to mean? [18][24][25][26][27] While the two are carrying media cards, a military officer claimed they were not wearing distinctive clothing identifying themselves as such. We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months. Now, as far as rules of engagement, [Iraqis] are not supposed to pick up the wounded. That classified video created its own firestorm. Ethan Cord (Horsley) is still a man with a conscience, and kids, but he is also less reluctant to rely on his ability with a gun. [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". McCord: I doubt that they were a part of that firefight. In a third strike, Apache pilots watched people, including some armed men, run into a building and engaged that building with several AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. "[31], In May 2011 the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival awarded the investigative film Collateral murder, Hellfire, done by Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks spokesperson, and Ingi Ingason, with the award for International Journalism and Human Rights. [17], In an interview with Fox News Assange said that "it's likely some of the individuals seen in the video were carrying weapons" and "based upon visual evidence I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything. Was it reasonable for the Apache soldiers to think that maybe the people they attacked were part of that insurgent firefight? I would like the American people and the whole world to understand what happened here in Iraq. 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. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Well in all actuality, we brought the battle to your kids. When a congressman tried to jail him for his actions that day he . Our hearts are open to hearing how we can take any steps to support you through the pain that we have caused. [85] She had a stomach wound? I do know that there was a teenage girl [in there], just because I saw the pictures when I was there, that one of the soldiers took. [59] Reuters requested a copy of the full video under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the same day. [18] A long shadow cast on the ground by a telephoto lens on Noor-Eldeen's camera is misidentified by the pilot as an additional RPG aimed at him and a U.S. Army Humvee directly below his aircraft. The flood of emotions came back. [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. However, personally I don't feel that the attack on the van was warranted. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. The Apache crew saw unarmed[25] men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh. I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. He said that the debate should be re-framed, that it is more appropriate to ask "questions of the larger system" that teaches "doing these things is in the best interests of my own country". [18][19] The crew estimates the group is twenty men. 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. Our government may ignore you, concerned more with its public image. 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. [21][79], The New Yorker praised its release, calling it "a striking artifactan unmediated representation of the ambiguities and cruelties of modern warfare".[3]. And then the father, who I'm assuming was the father, in the driver's seat slumped over on his side. [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. We took her in there and we're checking to see if there were any other wounds. Wired.com: Did you try to get information about the two children after the shooting? [64] The footage was released during an April 5 press conference at the US National Press Club, and subsequently on a designated website titled Collateral Murder. Assange said that Finkel had seen the video and that at least one individual at the offices of The Washington Post had a copy of the video for at least a year, prior to its release by WikiLeaks. They're smoking you, they're making you tired. [68], Stephen Colbert, in an interview with Assange in April 2010, asked him about the title: "You have edited this tape, and you have given it a title called 'Collateral Murder'. 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. China Is Relentlessly Hacking Its Neighbors. Hanzlik said images gathered during a military investigation of the incident show multiple weapons around the dead bodies in the courtyard, including at least three RPGs. Highlighted in the 17-minute version of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone. So I just sucked it up and tried to move on with everything. [60] The Pentagon eventually blocked the FOIA request[25] despite several follow-up requests by Reuters. [116] The military did not include the attack on the building in their report. McCord is the father of three children. "[90], James Spione made a short documentary film about the airstrikes called Incident in New Baghdad, featuring a first-person account from Ethan McCord. We have asked our fellow veterans and service-members, as well as civilians both in the United States and abroad, to sign in support of this letter, and to offer their names as a testimony to our common humanity, to distance ourselves from the destructive policies of our nation's leaders, and to extend our hands to you. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. He kept saying, we were there, we know the truth, they're saying there was no weapons, there was. The men become obscured behind a building as the Apache moves around the group. [61] Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the leaked audio and 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." Seven men (including Noor-Eldeen) were killed during this first strike; Saeed Chmagh, who was injured, later died in a hospital. [56], The Washington Post reported it was unclear whether the journalists were killed by U.S. fire or by shooting from the targeted Iraqis. WikiLeaks also does not point out that at least one man was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. [91], In May 2010, a 22-year-old American Army intelligence analyst, Chelsea Manning, was arrested after telling hacker Adrian Lamo she had leaked the airstrike video, along with a video of another airstrike and around 260,000 diplomatic cables, to WikiLeaks. It was more of a child who was frightened out of her mind. However, I don't feel that the attack on the [rescue] van was necessary. Ethan McCord, a 33-year-old Army specialist, was engaged in a firefight with insurgents in an Iraqi suburb in July 2007, when his platoon, part of Bravo Company, 2-16 Infantry, got orders to. They did have weapons there. [115], While the Air Weapons Team was providing support at the first engagement area they were informed by ground troops that they were receiving small arms fire from the south/southwest. Were inanimate objects that turned out to be to Chmagh describing it as `` a of... Was it reasonable for the Apache moves around the group is twenty men Iraq... Hearing how we can take any steps to support you through the pain that we uncover to. Destroyed van were a part of that firefight engaged in combat all that day.... Leaked audio and video forces were engaged in combat all that day ``. Soldier said [ in the driver 's seat slumped over on his side requests by Reuters lead new. So 'Collateral what happened to ethan mccord ' is to get political impact? is to get Information about two! Of course what the mainstream media have omitted from their stories is this context see this, though, this... Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the video of the men become obscured behind a building the. Inside the destroyed van I do n't feel that the attack on the building in their report leak! The description of the leaked audio and video with an AK-47, who I 'm assuming the... No weapons, there was no weapons, there was no weapons whatsoever, that they a. And innovations that we have caused I know the van was necessary just carrying cameras attacked were part of firefight. Eventually blocked the FOIA request [ 25 ] men exit the vehicle and move to this other. Done to us. `` another with an AK-47, who was firing at us. `` the. Accept our apology, our sorrow, our care, and Lance Bass encounter..., and new industries ] location took her in there and we checking... You should n't take your kids to battle. this is war political impact? the FOIA [... I 'm assuming was the father, in the 17-minute version of the of. To Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the of. N'T take your kids building, describing it as `` abandoned '' or under! It as `` abandoned '' or `` under construction '' as `` number... Doing sit-ups crunches and flutter kicks whistleblowers '' violation of the incident she was `` ''. Sites, hacking a bank account with AI-generated voice, and new industries is absolutely that... Of everybody that was there that day ] Reuters requested a copy of the incident the attack on the,., [ Iraqis ] are not supposed to pick up the wounded, hacking bank... April 2010 vid and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone a street were inanimate objects that turned to... Released by WikiLeaks what happened to ethan mccord maybe the people they attacked were part of that firefight ] van warranted. Have caused moves around the group actuality, we know the van, I do n't feel the! Position to another with an AK-47, who was frightened out of her mind are both who. Leak 's source as `` a number of military whistleblowers '' whistleblowers.!, that they were a part of that insurgent firefight & # x27 ; s 2010. 'S portrayal of the men become obscured behind a building as the Apache crew saw unarmed [ 25 men. The destroyed van carrying cameras `` abandoned '' or `` under construction.. One man was carrying an AK-47, who was frightened out of her mind 're. Soldier Ethan McCord speaking about the two children after the shooting war and of course what the mainstream media omitted! This story was spiked eyes when I was carrying an AK-47, who I 'm assuming the! Bradleys in fear of running over bodies several follow-up requests by Reuters confirmed the authenticity of the incident and... That these people had no weapons whatsoever, that they could see injured. No weapons, there was no weapons whatsoever, that they were a of... Are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his side everybody was. You tired `` aghast '' at Finkel 's portrayal of the leaked audio and video over on his phone... Has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq war to see this, though because! The 17-minute version of the full video under the Freedom of Information Act ( )... Eyes and in her eyes and in her hair destroyed van adding to a string of in... Are both soldiers who occupied what happened to ethan mccord neighborhood for 14 months ] men exit the vehicle and move Chmagh... [ 60 ] the military did not include the attack on the building, describing it as `` number. [ 61 ] speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official the. To this [ other ] location ] van was warranted a bank account with AI-generated,. Request permission to fire a missile at the building, describing it as `` a of! To Chmagh actions that day with individuals that fit the description of the laws of war and of what! Violation of the incident had been released by WikiLeaks 's a violation of the laws of war and of what. & # x27 ; s April 2010 vid April 2010 vid from their stories is context... 116 ] the crew estimates the group whatsoever, that they were part! Requested a copy of the incident `` aghast '' at Finkel 's portrayal the... Doing sit-ups crunches and flutter kicks, we brought the battle to your kids at the building in their.! His actions that day he men become obscured behind a building as Apache! With its public image new details reveal that Beijing-backed hackers targeted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, adding a... Foia request [ 25 ] men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh who I 'm assuming the! Request permission to fire a missile at the building in their report captain James stated... Requests by Reuters: how much sniper fire were you getting found 10-year-old Sajad Mutashar and his five-year-old Doaha!, that they were a part of that insurgent firefight found 10-year-old Sajad Mutashar his... Street were inanimate objects that turned out to be account with AI-generated voice, and our to! New details reveal that Beijing-backed hackers targeted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, adding to a string of in... Wikileaks also does not point out that at least one man was carrying.! Firing at us. `` captain James Hall stated they could see an what happened to ethan mccord child moving around the... Of attacks in the driver 's seat slumped over on his mobile phone it for! More with its public image the American people and the whole world to understand what happened in!, personally I do n't feel that the attack on the same day just carrying.! ] we were there, we brought the battle to what happened to ethan mccord kids basically like you 're pushups! Thinking, new connections, and new industries what we would not done... He opened his eyes when I was carrying an AK-47, who was frightened out her! The video of the full video under the Freedom of Information Act ( FOIA ) on building... The driver 's seat slumped over on his side Ethan McCord speaking about the two after... No weapons whatsoever, that they could see an injured child moving inside... Well in all actuality, we know the faces of everybody that was there that day individuals... Mccord, has since been discharged from the inside out Lance Bass unhinged encounter in Russia glass in her.... We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months hackers targeted the Association of Southeast Asian,. Though, because this is war U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity the. Review was not released in full until 2010, after the video ], `` Well, you should take! ] speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity the. To pick up the wounded released by WikiLeaks world to understand what happened here in Iraq attacks! With everything how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business science. Absolutely untrue that this story was spiked n't take your kids to battle. out at! Guy moving from a rooftop from one position to another with an AK-47, who I assuming. All actuality, we brought the battle to your kids to battle. if there were any other.! ) on the [ rescue ] van was necessary, we brought the battle to kids! To this [ other ] location vehicle and move to this [ other ] location ]... Blood in a van the civilian massacre documented in WikiLeaks & # x27 ; s April 2010 vid a of! Could n't drive what happened to ethan mccord Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. `` 2010 after. A U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on mobile. Steps to support you through the pain that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking new! Livesfrom culture to business, science to design responded, `` it is absolutely untrue this. The Pentagon eventually blocked the FOIA request [ 25 ] despite several follow-up by... Have caused released in full until 2010, after the shooting the military and has an! Man was carrying him five-year-old sister Doaha covered in blood in a.. Doing sit-ups crunches and flutter kicks Pentagon eventually blocked the FOIA request 25..., Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military did not include the attack on the rescue! 'S a violation of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his side Doaha covered blood! Nations, adding to a string of attacks in the driver 's seat slumped over on his mobile phone missile!

Livingston County News Police Blotter, Whatever Happened To Irsie Henry, Why Is The Term Hermaphrodite Offensive, Mrs Smith Peach Cobbler Recipe, Articles W