Paper releases video of U.S. friendly fire

[cal04]

A leaked video in which an American pilot is heard saying "we're in jail, dude," after U.S. troops killed a British soldier during a friendly fire incident in Iraq was released by The Sun newspaper Tuesday.

Lance Cpl. Matty "Horse" Hull died when troops fired on his convoy in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on March 28, 2003.

A coroner investigating Hull's death had demanded the video be released and presented as evidence in the inquest but U.S. authorities refused. The leak means that the material is now in the public domain, his office said Tuesday, suggesting it may be shown when in the inquest resumes Feb. 16.

U.S. military officials conducted their own investigation but the findings have not been made public.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070206/ap_on_re_eu/britain_friendly_fire_video

[magellan]

1. Links

Article and video: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007060133,00.html

An alternative link to both: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e06da463d7

[Eugene]

2. BBC: Coroner 'to show cockpit video'

Last Updated: Tuesday, 6 February 2007, 14:14 GMT

Coroner 'to show cockpit video'

The cockpit video at the heart of a row over the "friendly fire" death
of a British soldier could now be shown at his inquest, a coroner's
official says.

Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull, 25, from Berks, was killed in Iraq in 2003.

A video, obtained by the Sun newspaper, is said to show the US aircraft attack
on a British convoy.

Clerk Geoff Webb said coroner Andrew Walker felt that, as the video was now
in the public domain, it could be shown when the inquest resumes in March.

The video was classified "secret" by the US, but Foreign Secretary Margaret
Beckett said the UK government wanted the inquest to have access to as much
evidence as possible and was working with the US to achieve that.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6334769.stm


(Reuters)

UK asks U.S. for Iraq friendly fire death details
06 Feb 2007 12:34:43 GMT
Source: Reuters

JERUSALEM, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Secretary said on Tuesday London
was working with the United States to get as much information on a "friendly fire"
incident in which U.S. warplanes in Iraq killed a British soldier in Iraq.

"Obviously, both we and the U.S. are keen to understand what has happened here,"
Margaret Beckett said during a visit to Jerusalem, after British media showed clips
of a classified cockpit video recording from one of the U.S. warplanes involved.

-snip-

An inquest into Hull's death was adjourned last week after the coroner said he had
no choice but to delay his verdict until the recording of the incident was produced
by Britain's Ministry of Defence. The MoD said it did not have the right to release
the video without the permission of the U.S. government.

"We want as complete an inquest as possible," Beckett said. "We want the coroner
to have access to as much evidence as possible. We are working with the U.S. to
achieve that."

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L06789497.htm

EDIT: Added BBC story

[HuffleClaw]

3. "but U.S. authorities refused" !!!

gee, i can't imagine WHY !

[saigon68]

4. In an illegal War there are no rules

[frylock]

6. they cited "security reasons"

a-holes.

[mainer]

5. It's a sad video. For everyone involved.

The pilots kept asking (their command, I suppose), prior to opening fire, "are there friendlies in the area? Are these friendlies?" And the answer they got back, several times, was: "No. There are no friendlies in the area." So despite the fact there seemed to be markers on the convoy indicating these were British troops, the pilots opened fire. I didn't get the impression they were trigger-happy kids.

Afterwards, when informed that they had fired on Brits, and one of them was dead, you could hear the pilots' voices expressing anguish. One of them said, "I'm going to be sick."

It's hard to be angry with the American pilots on this. Yes, they made a mistake. And they felt terrible about it.

It's the war itself we should be angry about.

[krispos42]

7. Just very sad

No good ending here, at all. I can't imagine how the pilots dealt with this. They sounded like they were about to barf into their oxygen masks once they heard the news.