@jkirk
Ah, but you are seemingly missing the depth of cynicism here. I'm suggesting that in light of this it's conceivable that some of these "successes" that have been reported, such as the "elimination" of "groups of insurgents" etc. were in fact just similar blunders made against ordinary Iraqis.
How many reports were there that contradicted said claims of success? Easily brushed off as anti US propaganda (regardless of the news agency reporting it) or occasionally "irresponsible reporting" and the like?
After all, when it comes to the word of an unknown hysterical grieving civillian versus some top general bloke talking about "successes" on enemy "targets", who are the masses at home going to believe?
It would be laughably easy for the military to simply claim they killed a few insurgents *every single time* they make a c0ckup like this and kill a few ordinary people. It's only when they hit themselves or their own allies do you see them struggling to hide it.
Three years of obstruction in an inquiry that has only been revealed in the light of the leaking of the footage.
"There is no video"
"There is a video but it's classified"
"The video is the property of the US government and we can't get it"
"Whoever leaked it was acting illegally"
:roll: