Thread by @SiuantheAmyrlin

t.me/OzResurrected/…

Jason Sullivan—

#CollateralMurder is a video released by WikiLeaks on April 5, 2010, exactly 13 years ago today. The video contains classified footage taken from a U.S. military helicopter during an attack in Baghdad in July 2007. It shows the U.S. 1-7

2/7 military firing on a group of people, including Iraqi civilians and children, as well as 2 Reuters journalists. The journalists, Namir Noor-Eldeen & Saeed Chmagh, were both killed in the attack.

The release of "Collateral Murder" sparked significant controversy

3/7 for various reasons. First, the video provided a raw, unfiltered look at the consequences of military actions in Iraq, highlighting the civilian casualties and the aggressive manner in which the attack was carried out.

4/7 The footage showed the crew of the helicopter seemingly disregarding the presence of civilians & non-combatants in the area, referring to the people as "dead bastards" and laughing at their deaths.

Second, the video raised questions about the transparency and accountability

5/7 of the U.S. military. The U.S. government had previously denied any wrongdoing in the incident and claimed that the journalists were caught in a crossfire between U.S. forces and insurgents. The release of the video by #WikiLeaks directly contradicted this narrative

6/7 and called into question other official statements regarding the conduct of U.S. forces in Iraq.

Lastly, the release of "Collateral Murder" intensified the debate around WikiLeaks itself and the ethics of publishing classified information. Supporters of WikiLeaks saw

7/7 the organization as a vital source of transparency, shedding light on the realities of war and government actions.”

#FreeAssange