Wikileaks gun camera video of civilians shot in Baghdad 07/12/07

Re:Wikileaks gun camera video of civilians shot in Baghdad 0... by Zak on Monday April 05, 2010 @01:31PM (#1242446)

Based on their behavior, it seems reasonable to presume that they are medical personnel. That may not satisfy the legal requirements, but there's a reason we have people deciding whether to pull a trigger rather than computers. It may have been legal to fire on the van, but anyone in a position to make that call should have the sense not to.

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Re:Wikileaks gun camera video of civilians shot in Baghdad 0... by mbreese on Monday April 05, 2010 @01:52PM (#1242531)

I'm not defending anyone here... Hell, I haven't watched the video. And based upon comments from others above regarding the included commentary, I won't.

But the definition of "reasonable" can be different things to different people, especially under these circumstances. What is reasonable to presume from behind our monitors means nothing. When you're in the middle of a firefight, your definition of reasonable can be a little more flexible.

One problem that we have here is a lack of context. Perhaps these solders were just in a fight the day before with a very similar van. Perhaps instead of presumed medical personnel it was more enemy fighters. If they didn't have clear markings, then it could be very hard to make quick decisions. This is the type of stuff that you just aren't going to be able to tell from a single video.

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Re:Wikileaks gun camera video of civilians shot in Baghdad 0... by JanezStupar on Monday April 05, 2010 @02:16PM (#1242601)

Should you view the video, you'd have seen (and heard) that gunner is trigger happy, sadistic and would kill you in the middle of the street on a sunny day - if he had a reason to believe nobody is gonna get him.

That is the "missing" context for you...

I believe that this video sets a very powerful context. Don't be ignorant!

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