More on Target Shooting in Iraq

November 28, 2005
Another Video and it is Worse

You may by now have seen yesterdays Telegraph story about a video filmed through the rear window of a private security company car in Iraq. It shows some random looking shooting with automatic weapons on cars coming up from behind. People seem to get hurt.

You can watch that video here and here, but there is another one and it is worse.

The Telegraph story lead me to a blog named The Red Zone about "Real life on the mean streets of Iraq". The current Red Zone post is about a very disturbing video made by US military in Iraq. It is hosted on flurl and here.

This video shows how US soldiers in Iraq, with the help of a robot, blow up a standing car that appears to have had an accident, while a young man, well alive but probably trapped, is still sitting in that car.

The trailer of the September 14 video names the National Guard 319th Ord Co (EOD) as author.

First we see Humvees and an M1 tank and a few hundred yards away a red car standing in the middle of the road. A tracked, radio controlled robot with video equipment is send to the lone standing car. The operators video screen shows the take from the robot's camera.

The red car looks like it had a very serious front crash - the hood is tilted upward, the engine compartment is smashed, the driver door is open. I do not have the impression that there had been an explosion at this point.

The robot's camera shows a young man in working trousers and a white undershirt in the red car's driver seat. He is alive and does not appear to be injured but is distressed - putting his head into his hands. He seems not to be able to move away. His right foot might be trapped with the pedals.

The robot drives around the car and comes back to the Humvees. A demolition charge is shown and through a helicopter camera we now see how the robot drags this to the red car.

The demolition charge, the red car and the young panicked man are blown up. There is NO secondary explosion. The next pictures show him falling from the side of the car. He is dead.

Now a still picture of what may be a self made bomb is shown, but it does not appear to be at the same scene. Another short last cut is of an explosion somewhere in an open field.

What has happened?

Was this a suicide bomber who failed to explode his load and had to be taken out?

Or was this some unlucky innocent guy who somehow had an accident, was trapped in his car and blown up by the US military because they feared him to be a bomber?

What is your take?

The music on the quite professional video is AFI's, The Leaving Song Pt 2:

I saw its birth
i watched it grow
I felt it change me.
i took the life
I ate it slow
Now it consumes me

Posted by Bernhard on November 28, 2005 at 07:09 AM | Permalink

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Context and background is everything ...

British Mercenaries contracted by the Pentagon to protect US Diplomats killing Iraqi civilians for sport ?

Read this article to understand the background and history of the company, Aegis Defense Services (British) that was contracted by the U.S. DOD to provide VIP protection and escorts, both covert and overt for U.S. diplomats and defence bureaucrats within Iraq ... staff are primarily ex Brit SF and Army but not exclusively ... are 'offended' at being referred to as Mercenaries (sensitive souls) ...

The Video was obtained from a website run by a security contractor in Iraq to allow for grievances to be aired by Aegis operational staff ... Aegis management forced him to resign if he didn't shut the site down, so he resigned and the site continued to run ... a month later the video is published ...

Here's some excerpts from relevant posts by the Mercenaries (security contractors) themselves re the footage:

... fuck me when has Iraq ever been a "low threat" environment? Every time you roll out the wire expect the worst. Theres one drill, if it looks dodgy and its approaching at warp factor 9, hand signals - warning shots - brass the fucker into the stone age ... Im sick and tired of so called experienced "London BG's" deploying out and trying to tell you how best to do the job. I rely 110% on my prior military experience, because lets face it when did this war ever end?

...Afterall lets admit it, the bad guys have made more progress in 2 years than the IRA made in 20 and we have to match that...

...only way is to be taught by operators who have had their boots on the ground out here. The majority of our drills are "bastardised" to fit the current environment, its the only way. And having a rear element keeping traffic away from the principal is part of this. Theres the right way and wrong way of course, those muppets from Zapata engineering are a clear cut case. They made life that bit more difficult for all of us after they drove around Fallujah having a go at anything that moved...

Just watched the Movie clip, jesus it must be bad if all Cars that advance towards you at speed get the hell shot out of it, is it generally known to stay back from PSD Teams ?? a certain distance ? by the Local populace! Not that I suppose it matters, being that your's and the client's safety come first. but how many cars have been shot up where a husband has been trying to get his wife to the Hospital ?? in the process of dropping a sprog. Like I say to be honest I recon i would be popping off a few rounds in order to get through the run of that day. What an existance to be in.

A coward getting away with murder..or thinking he is !!!!! The whole team is guilty of murder and by stupidly airing this piece of rubbish they will be prosecuted eventually. Aegis should be kicked out of Iraq whole scale for employing these muppets and murderers. This will effect us all eventually. I'd like a few minutes alone with this cowboy to see if he is as brave as he thinks he is.

Respectively that footage is the most damning footage of trigger happy body count hunters that i have witnessed, it has done nothing but show the copmpany and the lads it employs in a bad light, and if i was looking to employ a company that would certainly ensure that aegis didn't get the contract

The footage of the rear gunner is quite simply a disgrace, myself nor a single person I have spoken to agree's with the actions carried out. I would like to say that if that guy was in team I was with then he would definately get the beating of his life from not just his team but all the other teams, however I can not say that as the fuck wit would not make it anywhere near the important role as rear gunner. who on earth is keeping an eye on this guy, he should have been booted in to touch after the first one and to let him carry on waxing the fuck out of who he feels like is disgusting. This video is circulating all over the net, and all it shows is a complete fucking trigger happy idiot who is inept at his job and possibly scared shitless of any vehicle coming within 200mtrs of him. This does not do any of the firms working out here any favour's. Now straight away people will say that we don't know what happened before the shots were fired, fair one but come on, SEVERAL ROUNDS, AUTOMATIC PROBABLY FROM A MINIMI WITH FUCKING ELVIS THE KING PLAYING FOR A SOUNDTRACK. Why was it put on the site? we all know this is open to everyman and his dog and believe me apart from not doing Aegis any favour's, FUCK THAT it doesn't do any out fit out here any favours.

Just a question on this footage that people are speaking about. What exactly happens in this video and where online is it available? I myself used to film from the rear and turn in the footage at the debrief if anything happened. I nearly got into trouble for one incident but was cleared of any wrong doing. the footage had been viewed months after the incident by people in an office with little or no actual time on the ground and they failed to take into account the events and Intel at the time. Needless to say, I do not make videos for the headsheds/ops/int any more. Just want to know what happened in this footage just to make sure it isnt mine surfacing again, although by the way people are speaking of it , I dont think it is, just want to be clear.

Thanks for your comments, Never a truer word spoken, unless you where there to watch the whole event unfold who is anyone to judge the duties of the rear gunner. The head shed has scared a lot of rear gunners and some have had to resign before being sacked and all for carrying out their duties. What is the point of a rear gunner who because of possible ramifications is to scared to stop a fast moving incoming vehicle in a land where any of them could be a VBIED. Check out how many people have died in Baghdad alone through having a VBIED slam into the rear of them. Check out the VBIED at CP 12 watch how he crept onto the rear of the queue. Even at checkpoints the rear gunner has a duty to keep all vehicles back. A rear gunner has to have the courage of his convictions and also a great big set of balls ... it was the rear gunners that where returning fire, putting their lives on the line for the safety of their team and the clients. I take my hat off to the rear gunner’s

This is the beginning of the end for all of us operating in Iraq. All because Aegis doesn't vet its men properly. That video footage is fucking shocking, but what is more unbelievable is the fact that these wankers posted it on the web....Cowboys and cowards.....Lets hope Aegis loses its contract and a professional company gets it..!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Outraged | Nov 28, 2005 7:26:12 AM | #

@B

Was this a suicide bomber who failed to explode his load
... and had to be taken out?

Short answers ... Yes, and 'unofficially' ... Yes.
I'll dig up some references when I get a chance.

In the meantime here's the background on the Robot used to do the deed ... apart from bomb disposal there are ~14 of them deployed with the Stryker Brigade with modular weapon systems (read the link) to test Pentagon future war concepts of remote recon and remote 'engagement' in counter-insurgency and urban warfare against live (Iraqi) targets in the current war ... the ultimate in our concept of 'force protection' ... death from above and afar and ideally no friendly casualties ... the Pentagons future wars are already here ...

Armed/Weaponized Infantry Robots for Urban Warfare and Counterinsurgency Ops

Date: Monday, December 13 @ 05:29:24 PST
Topic: Future Infantry/Soldier Technology
by David Crane

... O.k., I'm going to discuss a number of very interesting military/military-applicable technologies I observed inside the ASC 2004 exhibition hall in some upcoming DefenseReview articles over the next few weeks. However, this particular story will concentrate on Foster-Miller's line of remote-controlled Armed/Weaponized Talon Robots, a.k.a. Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System (SWORDS) unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).

The Armed/Weaponized Talon Robot is a member of Foster-Miller's military robot product line. SWORDS was one of the most interesting and seemingly viable technologies DefenseReview got to view at ASC 2004 (Army Science Conference 2004)...

- snip -

The primary purpose of the Armed/Weaponized Talon Robot/SWORDS would seem to be to significantly mitigate the risk of serious injury and/or death to our infantry combat forces on the ground, primarily in urban warfare environments. It's no secret that the U.S. Army is currently embroiled in a difficult public relations (PR) war against the U.S. media. Every soldier killed in combat OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) creates more difficulty for the Bush Administration and U.S. Armed Forces. Robots can't be killed. So, why use human warfighters, when you can conduct reconaissance operations and kill the enemy with remote-controlled, (unmanned) mobile robotic weapons platforms/systems? Basically, why put a human in harm's way, when you can put a robot on it?

Posted by: Outraged | Nov 28, 2005 8:05:15 AM | #