Public Intelligence

Amateur footage recently posted on the internet shows American troops firing live ammunition on Iraqi prisoners during a riot in a US detention facility in Iraq back in 2005. The footage shows US forces using disproportionate force and live rounds against prisoners at the US prison facility Camp Bucca located in Iraq. The Iraqi detainees were protesting the American troops’ desecration of Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an. At the time, the US military tried to cover up the bloodshed, saying the riot happened when the prisoners confronted a search for contraband in the prison. But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) later revealed that the real cause of the riot was the desecration of the Holy Qur’an by US troops.Four prisoners were shot dead and five others wounded during the violence.

“The plan was to kill people, sir,” Specialist Morlock told the judge at the start of a court-martial. The sentence, plea and agreement to testify followed a deal Specialist Morlock and his lawyers negotiated with prosecutors in January. The military sentencing guidelines for the charges to which he pleaded guilty — including three counts of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and assault — recommend life in prison, with or without the possibility of parole. His lawyers say he could be eligible for parole in about seven years. Specialist Morlock, 22, of Wasilla, Alaska, is the first of the five to face a court-martial. Few new details emerged in the proceeding. Specialist Morlock had already given several interviews to investigators in which he described how members of his unit used grenades and rifles to fake combat situations so they could kill civilians who he said posed no threat.

The following photos depict soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, posing next to the corpse of Gul Mudin, an unarmed Afghan civilian killed by their unit on January 15, 2010, as well as the corpses of two other unnamed Afghan civilians.  The photos were published today by Der Spiegel in their [...]

The following information was anonymously published on a website (http://israeliwarcriminals.zzl.org) that is no longer accessible. It was accompanied by the following message: Underlining the following people is an act of retribution and affront. They are the direct perpetrators, agents for the state of Israel that in Dec.- Jan. 2008- 2009 attacked scores of people in the besieged Gaza. The people listed here held positions of command at the time of the attack therefore not only did they perform on behalf of a murderous state mechanism but actively encouraged other people to do the same. They bear a distinctive personal responsibility. They range from low-level field commanders to the highest echelons of the Israeli army. All took an active and direct role in the offensive.

WikiLeaks has released a reportedly classified video of U.S. troops firing on journalists and civilians in a June 2007 incident which ultimately killed 12 people. The video, filmed through a gunsight camera that is mounted on an Apache attack helicopter, depicts an aerial view of about 9-10 men on a street corner in Baghdad who are fired upon for apparently brandishing weapons. Most of the men are unarmed, however, it is unclear if any weapons were present. Most media sources are reporting that the journalists’ photographic equipment was apparently mistaken for weapons. Two of the men were Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and his assistant and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40, who were both employees of Reuters.

Britain’s UN envoy urged Israel to hold “full, credible and impartial” investigations, echoing similar calls from his US and French counterparts. A report by a UN mission led by Richard Goldstone accused both Israel and Palestinian militants of war crimes. The UN Human Rights Council is set to discuss the report again later today. The findings were originally presented by Mr Goldstone, a veteran South African judge and war crimes prosecutor, to the Council two weeks ago, but it decided to defer its response until March. However it reconsidered because of anger among Palestinians that allegations in the report were being ignored. Israel has rejected the Goldstone report as biased and favouring terrorism.

A detailed and damning UN inquiry into January’s war in Gaza has found evidence that war crimes and possible crimes against humanity were committed by Israel and Hamas. The investigation, led by the former South African judge Richard Goldstone, is the most serious international inquiry into the three-week war in which 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died, and which triggered criticism across the world. It presses for prosecutions.

Several months have passed since the end of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, and many Israelis are still not aware of what really happened there. For lack of basic facts, we are forced to accept unconditionally the positions of the official bodies, which assure us that in spite of any doubts, the IDF’s conduct was faultless and public accountability is uncalled for.