戰爭的真相－－戰爭就是年紀大的叫一群年輕人去殺另一群年輕人。以伊拉克擁有大規模毀滅性武器而發動戰爭的美國與英國，打了這場毫無正當性的戰爭，除了所有戰爭都會有的許多無辜人民的生命財產所失，美英聯軍在伊拉克的表現與納粹武裝黨衛隊（或武裝黨衛軍、黨衛軍，德語Die Waffen Schutzstaffel，簡稱Waffen-SS）相較毫不遜色。如果不知道這納粹武裝黨衛隊是什麼樣的部隊，維基百科是這樣描述的：「武裝黨衛隊參與了納粹黨的許多戰爭罪行，尤其在大屠殺中扮演了積極的角色。它違反了多項當時的戰爭法，其中包括處決戰俘、平民或兒童，謀殺不同種族的人，以及支援別動隊進行種族滅絕。」2004年美國哥倫比亞廣播公司（CBS）的 "60 Minutes II" 所揭露的伊拉克阿布格萊布監獄虐待戰俘的照片堪稱「經典」。成為「經典」的原因不是因為「虐待戰俘」，而是這些戰爭裡由國家允許或默許的骯髒勾當，透過美國主流媒體傳播到全世界。相較於CBS, 揭露美國阿帕契直升機濫殺無辜影片的WikiLeaks 根本只是個無名小卒，所以這個阿帕契直升機濫殺無辜的新聞並不像「阿布格萊布監獄虐囚事件」那樣引起注意。畢竟ＷikiLeaks網站前些日子在美國還是被禁的網站(從美國無法連上這個網站)！不過在這網際網路的時代，「素人」可以成為全球知名人物；WikiLeaks 在5號 (2010.4.5, Mon)公開了這段畫面，在美國的媒體報導後，濫殺畫面首曝光，震驚全美。好萊塢影片中美國人總是為維護世界和平、拯救人類、伸張正義與公理而戰(連2003年這次對伊拉克所發動的侵略戰爭都命名為Operation of Iraqi Freedom)，但是這樣的事情絕大多數發生在戲院或客廳裡，在真正的戰場上，這樣的美德可能就如同獨角獸般珍貴。Times 的報導說 "the Pentagon has continued to argue that the pilots followed their rules of engagement and that there was no evidence that the two Reuters employees were not working with insurgents." 先把人殺了，然後堅稱合法，因為並「沒有證據顯示」他們「不是」為反抗軍工作。我想二戰期間納粹也「沒有證據顯示」滅絕猶太人「不是」上帝交付亞利安人的神聖使命。如果這是合法合理的論述，這些濫殺無辜的軍人只是依照「交戰守則」執行他們的任務，那麼納粹只是依照「上帝的旨意」執行亞利安人的神聖使命罷了！----------相機當成槍管 美軍射殺兩記者 伊拉克美軍醜聞 12人遭殺害 濫殺畫面首曝光 全美震驚 伊拉克戰場發生美軍誤殺記者的事件，美軍誤把路透社攝影記者的長鏡頭照相機當成槍管開槍射殺!一個名叫「維基解密」的網站，5日公佈了一捲駐伊美軍的作戰影片，這段影片是2007年7月在巴格達拍攝的(泰晤士報報導說是在2007.6.12)，畫面中美軍用機砲對記者跟平民開槍亂射，造成12人死亡。 影片一出也引發了各界撻伐。 畫面中兩名伊拉克籍的路透社記者都身揹長鏡頭照相機，但是美軍阿帕契飛行員卻當成火箭彈，立刻開砲掃射。一陣掃射造成多人死亡，其中一名受傷的記者還在地上爬行。 一輛廂型車經過，駕駛好心救人，美軍又是一陣掃射。掃射過後又把記者跟其他人打死，總共有12人死亡，車上兩名兒童也打成重傷。 飛行員痛罵這些人是死雜種，美軍前來搶救兒童時，飛行員還出言不遜。 一個名叫維基解密的揭弊網站，從不知名人士手中取得這捲2007年的影帶，五號公佈在網站上，引起全美震驚，五角大廈匿名官員也證實影帶是真的，伊拉克民眾一陣撻伐，路透社也要求解釋，這讓美軍濫殺平民的罪行再添一樁。http://www.ttv.com.tw/news/view/?i=09904074679502LApril 7, 2010 Leaked video footage shows Iraq journalists killed by US gunshipsThe voice betrays the adrenalin of combat, but the words are clearly audible over the static. “Let me engage,” the gunner demands, “can I shoot?” A ground controller asks: “Picking up the wounded?” Seconds later the gunner asks again: “Come on, let us shoot.” Permission is granted and a dust cloud envelopes a van and several Iraqis picking up bodies from a Baghdad square. Only afterwards do the crew of the American helicopter gunship realise that two children, now gravely wounded, are in the van. “Well,” one says, “it’stheir fault for bringing kids into a battle.” The sequence comes half way through 17 minutes of harrowing gun camera footage, authenticated by unnamed US military officials, in which the co-pilot of the Apache has already mistaken a Reuters photographer for an insurgent brandishing a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Namir Noor-Eldeen and 11 other Iraqis were killed by heavy 30 millimetre machine-gun fire from the gunship in a few horrifying seconds on June 12, 2007. Three years later, USmilitary footage of the incident is still classified, but a decrypted versionthat emerged on Monday has prompted fury in Iraq. It has also plunged thePentagon into a new scandal over the apparent cover-up of evidence of US forcesviolating their own rules of engagement. The Iraqi journalists’ union called yesterday for a new investigation into the incident. Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Shaffer, an active-duty army reservist and scholar at the Centre for Advanced Defence Studies, told The Times that it was vital for the Pentagon to own up publicly to the shootings, “or al-Qaeda will continue to use this sort of thing as a recruiting tool”. own up (to something/to doing something)to admit that you are responsible for something bad or wrong 承擔責任；認錯；坦白The Reuters news agency said yesterday that the deaths of Mr Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh, his driver, were “emblematic of the extreme dangers that exist in covering war zones”. The agency refused to say whether it would demand a new review of the killings, in which the helicopter crew was exonerated despite evidence that appears to confirm the worst stereotypes of trigger-happy soldiers losing control in the heat of battle. emblematic 1. that represents or is a symbol of something 標誌的；象徵（性）的 2. that is considered typical of a situation, an area of work, etc. 特有的；典型的；有代表性的exonerate v. to officially state that somebody is not responsible for something that they have been blamed for 宣佈（某人）無罪；免除責任Early in the tape, released by the whistle blowers’ website Wikileaks.org, Mr Noor-Eldeenis seen from the co-pilot’s perspective crouching on a street corner in Baghdad’s Sadr City, partly hidden by alow house but with his telephoto lens visible. “He’s got an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade launcher],” the co-pilot says. “I’m going to fire.” Summoned to support US ground troops who had come under fire nearby, the gunship circles upward for a wider view of the area, and a cluster of men in civilian clothes is seen through the Apache’s gunsights, none of them obviously armed. They are shot in a single burst of fire, after which the gunship continues to circle as the dust settles. The co-pilot reports seeing RPGs and AK-47 rifles on the ground, though none are visible. There are at least eight bodies in plain view, however. “Yeah, look at those dead bastards,” one voice from the cockpit says. “Nice . . . good shooting,” says another. Iraqi anger was mixed with resignation as the video circulated in Baghdad yesterday. “This is not unusual for the American forces. This is not the first crime or the last crime; they will continue doing this,” said Sheikh Mazenal-Saidi, a leader of the Sadrist movement that will lead an annual march against the American occupation on Friday. “Of course when we see this kind of video we are feeling sad, we reject these criminal acts. Our hearts are still bleeding for our lost brothers in these criminal acts.” Reuters has pressed in vain for the release of the cockpit video under the US Freedom of Information Act. It was leaked by unnamed sources to Wikileaks.org, whose co-founder, Julian Assange, flew to Washington from Iceland to screen it for the first time. US officials acknowledge privately that the tape was genuine, but the Pentagon has continued to argue that the pilots followed their rules of engagement and that there was no evidence that the two Reuters employees were not working with insurgents. A spokesman for US Central Command in Florida said there were no plans to reopen the original 2007 investigation, which was conducted at brigade level by US forces in Baghdad.“I believe that if those killings were lawful under the rules of engagement, then the rules of engagement are wrong,” Mr Assange said. Lieutenant-Colonel Shaffer said after viewing the tape thatit showed at least two clear violations of the rules. “You have to use the appropriate amount of force to stop the threat,” he said. “You can’t use [a weapon] as a firehose and just spray the area, and that’s what happened.” In the most disturbing section of the tape, a survivor of the original shooting, believed to be Mr Chmagh, attempts to crawl off the street onto the pavement. The helicopter continues circling above him as the co-pilot waits for a new excuse to fire. “Come on, buddy. All you gotta do is pick up a weapon.” But there is no weapon to be seen, and the father of four dies before help arrives. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article7088548.ecehttp://www.radicalavenue.com/trillion-dollar-debacle-in-iraq/The above vedio footage, stories and the photo were taken from the websites of Youtube, Taiwan Television Enterprise Ltd., Times Online, and Radical Avenue respectively. The copyright remains with the original owners. The authors of these works and Youtube, Taiwan Television Enterprise Ltd, Times and Radical Avenue were not involved with and did not endorse the production of this blog.
相機當成槍管 美軍射殺兩記者
伊拉克美軍醜聞 12人遭殺害 濫殺畫面首曝光 全美震驚
伊拉克戰場發生美軍誤殺記者的事件，美軍誤把路透社攝影記者的長鏡頭照相機當成槍管開槍射殺!一個名叫「維基解密」的網站，5日公佈了一捲駐伊美軍的作戰影片，這段影片是2007年7月在巴格達拍攝的(泰晤士報報導說是在2007.6.12)，畫面中美軍用機砲對記者跟平民開槍亂射，造成12人死亡。 影片一出也引發了各界撻伐。 畫面中兩名伊拉克籍的路透社記者都身揹長鏡頭照相機，但是美軍阿帕契飛行員卻當成火箭彈，立刻開砲掃射。一陣掃射造成多人死亡，其中一名受傷的記者還在地上爬行。 一輛廂型車經過，駕駛好心救人，美軍又是一陣掃射。掃射過後又把記者跟其他人打死，總共有12人死亡，車上兩名兒童也打成重傷。 飛行員痛罵這些人是死雜種，美軍前來搶救兒童時，飛行員還出言不遜。 一個名叫維基解密的揭弊網站，從不知名人士手中取得這捲2007年的影帶，五號公佈在網站上，引起全美震驚，五角大廈匿名官員也證實影帶是真的，伊拉克民眾一陣撻伐，路透社也要求解釋，這讓美軍濫殺平民的罪行再添一樁。
The voice betrays the adrenalin of combat, but the words are clearly audible over the static. “Let me engage,” the gunner demands, “can I shoot?”
A ground controller asks: “Picking up the wounded?” Seconds later the gunner asks again: “Come on, let us shoot.”
Permission is granted and a dust cloud envelopes a van and several Iraqis picking up bodies from a Baghdad square. Only afterwards do the crew of the American helicopter gunship realise that two children, now gravely wounded, are in the van. “Well,” one says, “it’stheir fault for bringing kids into a battle.”
The sequence comes half way through 17 minutes of harrowing gun camera footage, authenticated by unnamed US military officials, in which the co-pilot of the Apache has already mistaken a Reuters photographer for an insurgent brandishing a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
Namir Noor-Eldeen and 11 other Iraqis were killed by heavy 30 millimetre machine-gun fire from the gunship in a few horrifying seconds on June 12, 2007. Three years later, USmilitary footage of the incident is still classified, but a decrypted versionthat emerged on Monday has prompted fury in Iraq. It has also plunged thePentagon into a new scandal over the apparent cover-up of evidence of US forcesviolating their own rules of engagement.
The Iraqi journalists’ union called yesterday for a new investigation into the incident. Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Shaffer, an active-duty army reservist and scholar at the Centre for Advanced Defence Studies, told The Times that it was vital for the Pentagon to own up publicly to the shootings, “or al-Qaeda will continue to use this sort of thing as a recruiting tool”.
The Reuters news agency said yesterday that the deaths of Mr Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh, his driver, were “emblematic of the extreme dangers that exist in covering war zones”. The agency refused to say whether it would demand a new review of the killings, in which the helicopter crew was exonerated despite evidence that appears to confirm the worst stereotypes of trigger-happy soldiers losing control in the heat of battle.
Early in the tape, released by the whistle blowers’ website Wikileaks.org, Mr Noor-Eldeenis seen from the co-pilot’s perspective crouching on a street corner in Baghdad’s Sadr City, partly hidden by alow house but with his telephoto lens visible.
“He’s got an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade launcher],” the co-pilot says. “I’m going to fire.”
Summoned to support US ground troops who had come under fire nearby, the gunship circles upward for a wider view of the area, and a cluster of men in civilian clothes is seen through the Apache’s gunsights, none of them obviously armed.
They are shot in a single burst of fire, after which the gunship continues to circle as the dust settles. The co-pilot reports seeing RPGs and AK-47 rifles on the ground, though none are visible. There are at least eight bodies in plain view, however.
“Yeah, look at those dead bastards,” one voice from the cockpit says. “Nice . . . good shooting,” says another.
Iraqi anger was mixed with resignation as the video circulated in Baghdad yesterday. “This is not unusual for the American forces. This is not the first crime or the last crime; they will continue doing this,” said Sheikh Mazenal-Saidi, a leader of the Sadrist movement that will lead an annual march against the American occupation on Friday.
“Of course when we see this kind of video we are feeling sad, we reject these criminal acts. Our hearts are still bleeding for our lost brothers in these criminal acts.”
Reuters has pressed in vain for the release of the cockpit video under the US Freedom of Information Act. It was leaked by unnamed sources to Wikileaks.org, whose co-founder, Julian Assange, flew to Washington from Iceland to screen it for the first time.
US officials acknowledge privately that the tape was genuine, but the Pentagon has continued to argue that the pilots followed their rules of engagement and that there was no evidence that the two Reuters employees were not working with insurgents. A spokesman for US Central Command in Florida said there were no plans to reopen the original 2007 investigation, which was conducted at brigade level by US forces in Baghdad.
“I believe that if those killings were lawful under the rules of engagement, then the rules of engagement are wrong,” Mr Assange said.
Lieutenant-Colonel Shaffer said after viewing the tape thatit showed at least two clear violations of the rules.
“You have to use the appropriate amount of force to stop the threat,” he said. “You can’t use [a weapon] as a firehose and just spray the area, and that’s what happened.”
In the most disturbing section of the tape, a survivor of the original shooting, believed to be Mr Chmagh, attempts to crawl off the street onto the pavement. The helicopter continues circling above him as the co-pilot waits for a new excuse to fire.
“Come on, buddy. All you gotta do is pick up a weapon.”
But there is no weapon to be seen, and the father of four dies before help arrives.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article7088548.ece
