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    1. #1
      FBI agent Ynot's Avatar
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      'Trophy' video shows contractors killing random civilians

      source: http://telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml...1/27/wirq27.xml
      By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
      (Filed: 27/11/2005)

      A "trophy" video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

      The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis.

      The video, which first appeared on a website that has been linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services, contained four separate clips, in which security guards open fire with automatic rifles at civilian cars. All of the shooting incidents apparently took place on "route Irish", a road that links the airport to Baghdad.

      The road has acquired the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous in the world because of the number of suicide attacks and ambushes carried out by insurgents against coalition troops. In one four-month period earlier this year it was the scene of 150 attacks.

      In one of the videoed attacks, a Mercedes is fired on at a distance of several hundred yards before it crashes in to a civilian taxi. In the last clip, a white civilian car is raked with machine gun fire as it approaches an unidentified security company vehicle. Bullets can be seen hitting the vehicle before it comes to a slow stop.

      There are no clues as to the shooter but either a Scottish or Irish accent can be heard in at least one of the clips above Elvis Presley's Mystery Train, the music which accompanies the video.

      Last night a spokesman for defence firm Aegis Defence Services - set up in 2002 by Lt Col Tim Spicer, a former Scots Guards officer - confirmed that the company was carrying out an internal investigation to see if any of their employees were involved.

      The Foreign Office has also confirmed that it is investigating the contents of the video in conjunction with Aegis, one of the biggest security companies operating in Iraq. The company was recently awarded a £220 million security contract in Iraq by the United States government. Aegis conducts a number of security duties and helped with the collection of ballot papers in the country's recent referendum

      Lt Col Spicer, 53, rose to public prominence in 1998 when his private military company Sandlines International was accused of breaking United Nations sanctions by selling arms to Sierra Leone.

      The video first appeared on the website www.aegisIraq.co.uk. The website states: "This site does not belong to Aegis Defence Ltd, it belongs to the men on the ground who are the heart and soul of the company." The clips have been removed.

      The website also contains a message from Lt Col Spicer, which reads: "I am concerned about media interest in this site and I remind everyone of their contractual obligation not to speak to or assist the media without clearing it with the project management or Aegis London.

      "Refrain from posting anything which is detrimental to the company since this could result in the loss or curtailment of our contract with resultant loss for everybody."

      Security companies awarded contracts by the US administration in Iraq adopt the same rules for opening fire as the American military. US military vehicles carry a sign warning drivers to keep their distance from the vehicle. The warning which appears in both Arabic and English reads "Danger. Keep back. Authorised to use lethal force." A similar warning is also displayed on the rear of vehicles belonging to Aegis.

      Capt Adnan Tawfiq of the Iraqi Interior Ministry which deals with compensation issues, has told the Sunday Telegraph that he has received numerous claims from families who allege that their relatives have been shot by private security contractors travelling in road convoys.

      He said: "When the security companies kill people they just drive away and nothing is done. Sometimes we ring the companies concerned and they deny everything. The families don't get any money or compensation. I would say we have had about 50-60 incidents of this kind."

      A spokesman for Aegis Defence Services, said: "There is nothing to indicate that these film clips are in any way connected to Aegis."

      Last night a spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "Aegis have assured us that there is nothing on the video to suggest that it has anything to do with their company. This is now a matter for the American authorities because Aegis is under contract to the United States."

      the video:
      http://www.flurl.com/uploaded/Bareknucklep...SIVE_10122.html
      (\_ _/)
      (='.'=)
      (")_(")

    2. #2
      Member Gwendolyn's Avatar
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      I hate people sometimes.....They are so ugly. Killing people at all (much less for no good reason) is a terrible thing...
      Shine on, you crazy diamond!

      Raised: The Blue Meanie, Exobyte

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    3. #3
      Member kimpossible's Avatar
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      Except for when they really need to be killed.


      Which is "generally"

      I don't want to hear about the brain from someone that doesn't have one.
      Nor do I want to hear about evolution from someone that hasn't evolved.

    4. #4
      Member Gwendolyn's Avatar
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      Well, when it's unavoidable, I can understand, but when it isn't...It saddens me.
      Shine on, you crazy diamond!

      Raised: The Blue Meanie, Exobyte

      Adopted: MarcusoftheNight

    5. #5
      Member Dangeruss's Avatar
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      A prime example of people that shouldn't have guns.
      Courtney est ma reine. Et oui, je suis roi.

      Apprentice: Pastro
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      100% of the people I meet are idiots. If you are the one guy in the world who isn't an idiot, put this in your sig line.

    6. #6
      Member kimpossible's Avatar
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      I was thinking we should give 'em more, bigger, better guns.

      You're all armchair quarterbacking without having been there, or having any idea what the entire situation entails.

      I don't want to hear about the brain from someone that doesn't have one.
      Nor do I want to hear about evolution from someone that hasn't evolved.

    7. #7
      Member Ex Nine's Avatar
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      Originally posted by Gwendolyn
      Well, when it's unavoidable, I can understand, but when it isn't...It saddens me.
      How do you know it's unavoidable before it's too late?

    8. #8
      Member Dangeruss's Avatar
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      Originally posted by kimpossible
      I was thinking we should give 'em more, bigger, better guns.

      You're all armchair quarterbacking without having been there, or having any idea what the entire situation entails.
      and you're not? I'm not making a comment about the middle east, I'm making a comment about your deity: GUNS!
      Courtney est ma reine. Et oui, je suis roi.

      Apprentice: Pastro
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      100% of the people I meet are idiots. If you are the one guy in the world who isn't an idiot, put this in your sig line.

    9. #9
      Member kimpossible's Avatar
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      I'm simply commenting on the armchair quarterbacking, and therefore, gainsaying whatever anyone else says.

      I don't want to hear about the brain from someone that doesn't have one.
      Nor do I want to hear about evolution from someone that hasn't evolved.

    10. #10
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      While sometimes it might be unavoidable to shoot civilians, surely you'd want to keep it to a minimum. Everytime a civilian is killed - no matter what the circumstances - it would provide the insurgents with even more breath for recruitment. Kind of ironic seeing as they themselves aren't exactly too worried who they kill, but that's the way things happen when you occupy a country.

    11. #11
      Member kimpossible's Avatar
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      In this conflict: What's a civilian? The one that doesn't detonate when they come running at you?

      Personally, if it moves towards me, I'm squeezing the trigger. If it doesn't move towards me - I'm probably squeezing the trigger.

      You get lottsa chances to be wrong if you squeeze early and squeeze often. You only get one chance to be wrong the other way.

      I don't want to hear about the brain from someone that doesn't have one.
      Nor do I want to hear about evolution from someone that hasn't evolved.

    12. #12
      FBI agent Ynot's Avatar
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      Bugger me !!!
      sometimes it's unavoidable to shoot civilians

      are you lot right in the head?
      they're driving around, listening to Elvis Presley, shooting a rifle out the car window.

      how, the fuck, is that unavoidable !!

      These are not millitary
      these are security contractors
      (\_ _/)
      (='.'=)
      (")_(")

    13. #13
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      Maybe this should be shifted to Extended Discussion, because it's certainly going to end up that way.

      Um, yeah I didn't mean "unavoidable" as in accidentally letting a few rounds fly into a crowd, "whoopsy that was unavoidable." I meant that in any armed conflict it is inevitable that civilians are going to be killed. My point was that this happens in all forms of war, therefore it should be avoided wherever humanely possible.

      Originally posted by kimpossible
      In this conflict: What's a civilian? The one that doesn't detonate when they come running at you?
      Valid point - when fighting an insurgency the lines become blurred. If you are not prepared to make the effort - if the civilians are that worthless - then you have to question why you'd bother all that effort 'liberating' those very same civilians.

    14. #14
      Member A Lost Soul's Avatar
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      I was wondering when this thread was going to start getting some heat.

      Moved to extended discussion. Have fun arguing, but keep it at least somewhat clean.

      “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”
      - Kurt Cobain (1967 – 1994)

    15. #15
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      sickened

      I feel pretty shaken by that video. Can you image just trying to get to work, and you see some vehicle with a sign on it up ahead, but you can't read it or you don't notice it, and all of a sudden your getting split open by bullets. Your parents, your children, or your brothers and sisters dead because they mistakenly got too close to a 'security' vehicle. Killing innocent people to the tune of Elvis Presley seems pretty insane to me. I sure hope they were all insurgents, however, I don't think that's true.

      What can you say?


    16. #16
      Member kimpossible's Avatar
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      If you're in an active warzone, and you're "not noticing" signage - then you are entirely tooo stupid to live anyway.

      I don't want to hear about the brain from someone that doesn't have one.
      Nor do I want to hear about evolution from someone that hasn't evolved.

    17. #17
      Consciousness Itself Universal Mind's Avatar
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      I don't know the whole story. I would like to hear from the guards who did the shooting. If the civilians were in a territory where they weren't supposed to be, then they were playing dangerous games with the paranoia of people in very freaky positions, but if the guards were just getting their jollies, they are no better than the terrorist scum that is killing civilians in the ineffective name of trying to prevent Iraq from successfully becoming a self-sufficient democracy. I despise what the Hussein regime did to the people of Iraq and what that government would have continued to do to the people of Iraq for the rest of history had they not been overthrown. I would hate for Coalition troops to be engaging in the same types of unnecessary murder. I want Iraq to be a prospering center of freedom and happiness, and shooting civilians for kicks goes against that. But a lot of craziness and confusion is going to have to happen first. Civilians need to understand what our militaries are having to deal with and behave accordingly.
      How do you know you are not dreaming right now?

    18. #18
      Member bmx-life™'s Avatar
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      its SOP to fire at cars that get to close. Normal you fire at the ground in from of them or over there heads. if they keep coming then you either put a grenade down in front an if they keep coming you kill em or get blown up an make the 6pm news.

      The music dont mean nothing.

      Its possible the killings were legit. Also they could be cowboys either way war suck!
      An for western privite contractors in Iraq if they get captured its 50,000USD reward to the captor so I read. But they make $600USD per day working the jobs thats more than the Chief of Staff! crazy uh!

      I dont think those guys wanted to kill them ppl in the cars for nothing. Come on its a war zone. If it was me Id have shoot those cars at the range they were at to stay alive.
      To focus on one state of mind always.

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