[vundy33]

How were those soldiers fighting for their lives or their country? All they had to do was fly away. And that attack in no way made America safer. Give me a break.

You can't honestly tell me those guys in the van were posing a threat at all. It looked to me like they couldn't have cared less about a helicopter flying around checking them out. The attack was 100% unprovoked.

Man, you need to read about our Rules of Engagement in a combat zone or just a war period before you say it was unprovoked.

First of all, anyone, and I mean anyone, man, woman, or child, who is armed with a weapon without coalition authorization is destroyed. You should know that, most people do.

Secondly, who in the **** said that specific attack made America safer? The reason they were killed is because any non-friendlies walking around with a weapon is a direct danger to U.S. Forces. In other words, it made the troops on the ground safer.

Third, if you knew anything about the enemy forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, you would know that the guys in the fan were not peaceful "civilians". It is common for insurgents to come back after we have killed enemy to collect the bodies, or pieces of bodies, and weapons. You can clearly see in the video that a male from the van grabbed a weapon. That's when the bird engaged.

Numero quattro, no civilians EVER come up minutes after a firefight or an airstrike to pick up bodies or "help" anyone. Think about it for a second...that van showed up 2 1/2 min after the attack. Civilians don't do that.

And finally, about how you said "the attack was 100% provoked", Iraq is a combat zone, we do not have to be "provoked". Like I said earlier, any non-coalition persons carrying a weapon are considered enemy and are immediately engaged.

Everything I have said above is the truth, it's not up for debate, it is the Rules of Engagement. Now, ROE varies with every different unit, Area of Operations, ect. ****, is could be different from one city block to another.

BUT, this is the general ROE in every combat zone. If someone has a weapon that is not authorized to have a weapon, they get detained or they die. Most of the time it's the latter...

Simple as that.