On July 12, 2007, two U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopters opened fire in New Baghdad during Operation Ilaaj. The 30 mm cannon strikes killed Reuters photographers Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh and several other Iraqis; a second strike destroyed a van that had stopped to help the wounded Chmagh, killing its occupants and badly injuring two children. The gun-camera audio recorded crew members laughing and making dismissive comments after the attacks. U.S. officials said the helicopters were responding to small-arms and RPG fire, and an internal legal review concluded that the crews acted within the rules of engagement. However, Reuters said it could find no witnesses who saw gunmen in the immediate area, while later reporting raised questions about whether Noor-Eldeen’s camera was mistaken for an RPG and whether the van attack was proportionate.
Reuters requested the complete Apache video under the Freedom of Information Act on July 25, 2007. The source states that the Pentagon blocked the request despite follow-ups, while Chelsea Manning later said the military had examined the footage but told Reuters the information might no longer exist. WikiLeaks released authenticated 17-minute and 39-minute versions on April 5, 2010, after an anonymous U.S. defense official confirmed their authenticity. The disclosure triggered worldwide scrutiny of military targeting, civilian-harm assessments, and information suppression, but the U.S. military maintained that the attacks were lawful and no criminal accountability is identified in the supplied source.
