I'm not buying this one, not yet, anyway - not even close. An insurgent group suddenly comes forward with a video of another incident? My initial reaction is that the BCC can't seem to understand that certain groups in Iraq would think nothing of killing a family and posing them for a video. I also find it unlikely that some Iraqi with a video camera could simply walk up and start filming almost immediately after a fire fight.
Obviously, if the military says otherwise, this is a problem. But until I hear from them, I'm not buying this one at all.
The BBC has uncovered new video evidence that US forces may have been responsible for the deliberate killing of 11 innocent Iraqi civilians.
The video appears to challenge the US military's account of events that took place in the town of Ishaqi in March.The US said at the time four people died during a military operation, but Iraqi police claimed that US troops had deliberately shot the 11 people.
A spokesman for US forces in Iraq told the BBC an inquiry was under way.
The new evidence comes in the wake of the alleged massacre in Haditha, where US marines are suspected of killing up to 24 Iraqi civilians in November 2005 and covering up the deaths.
Update: Additional background and analysis here at Democracy Project.
Three Knight Ridder Iraqi local stringers reported this incident under the byline of Matthew Schofield, on March 19.


Comments