Wikileaks footage of US army gunship killing innocent people

[Xantar]

Sorry, Satan. I'm going to freeze your home and agree with Professor S.

This was a hot zone. The military had recently been fighting some actual insurgents in the area. Those very same helicopter pilots might have been fighting people who were really trying to kill them a few hours ago.

Moreover, from what I've read, the pilots followed the rules of engagement correctly. They assessed the threat, called it in, got permission to open fire and then did so. Some of their remarks seem callous, but the fact of the matter is that being a professional killer tends to dehumanize the people you're trying to kill. It's human nature.

I've also read that someone in the van actually did have an RPG. We don't know what it was for, but it was there.

I would say that there was no need to fire on a van that was just trying to rescue people. But the bigger point to be made by this video is that despite all good intentions, this is the stuff that happens when you go to war. People are going to die. Sometimes it's going to be the wrong people. Sometimes it's going to be people who don't deserve it. You can't avoid that no matter how much you try. That's why war is the last resort.