I saw the video a couple days ago when it first hit the web. As bad as the way the military personnel acted and how seemingly unprofessional their conduct was, I simply can't fault them for this incident, because I've seen many similar videos on YouTube and Liveleak from roughly the same period when Baghdad was still an insurgent hot zone (prior to and during "the surge").
In some of them, the military personnel doing the surveillance had a clear indication of terrorist activity on the ground and basically had to beg their central command for permission to engage, but they were denied permission until they witnessed hostile activity, i.e. the firing of an RPG or other weapons by the insurgents.
In one infamous video (can't seem to find it but i'll try again), the insurgents move around under a tarp next to a truck which houses a mortar or rocket launcher assembly kit, and they load it off the truck and proceed to set it up all while under cover of the giant tarp, because they know our rules of engagement and they know our military cannot engage them unless they have a clear visual of weapons and intent to use them. So after they set it up, they pull the tarp away, launch the mortar or rocket, and then scatter before the gunship has a change to engage them, and can only pick off a couple of them fleeing in one of the trucks. This is just one example, but there are many others like it, and that is one of the many reasons why the army members in the video were so eager to engage.
Not making an excuse for their actions, that's just the way things are, especially in a hostile war zone like Iraq circa 2007.
On 2/24/13, MB1025 said:
You know I was always wondering why no one ever used the dollar sign for $ony, but then I realized they have no money so it would be pointless.
