Video shows insurgents dragging burning body of US pilot
IRAQ: Gunmen shouting "God is Great!" dragged the burning body of
what they said was a U.S. pilot in a horrific video posted on a Web site
by a new al-Qaida-affiliated group that claimed it shot down an Apache
helicopter last weekend.
The U.S. military expressed outrage over the release of "such a
despicable video for public exposure" but said it had serious doubts
that the footage was authentic.
The AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter was downed near
Youssifiyah about 12 miles (19 kilometers) southwest of Baghdad on
Saturday, killing the two pilots. A U.S. statement said troops had
recovered "all available remains" although "reports of a Web site video
suggest that terrorists removed part of a body from the crash site."
The flaming wreckage of a helicopter could be seen clearly in the
video, including outlines of the aircraft's blades and jagged pieces of
wreckage strewn over a field.
The camera panned over bloodstained debris, then showed several men
dragging the burning body of a man across a field as they shouted "Allahu
Akbar," or "God is Great!" Voices could be heard in the background
shouting "come, come, help me carry it."
The body's face was not visible, but the camera zoomed in on what
appeared to be his waistline, which showed a scrap of underwear with the
brand name "Hanes." It appeared the man was wearing tattered digital
camouflage fatigues, which are worn by U.S. troops in Iraq.
The time stamp on the video which shows the minutes and seconds do
not run sequentially, and the scenes appear disjointed. The posting also
included bombing scenes filmed elsewhere, indicating the material had
been edited as a propaganda package. Baghdad, Thursday, AP |