The pictures that prove US helicopter gunships opened fire on Iraqi civilians

Air crews heard laughing on leaked footage that shows attack on 12 'insurgents' carrying cameras and phones

By Kim Sengupta, Defence Correspondent
The Independent

"......Smoking gun: Extracts from the tape

The two Apaches are given permission to attack the group:

- Light 'em all up.

- Come on, fire!

- Keep shooting, keep shooting...

- All right, ha ha ha, I hit 'em.

One wounded man, believed to be the photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, tries to crawl away from the scene of the attack:

- He's getting up.

- Maybe he has a weapon in his hand?

- No, I haven't seen one yet...

- Come on, buddy.

- All you gotta do is pick up a weapon.

The crews learn that children were among the group attacked:

- Roger, I've got, uh, 11 Iraqi KIAs. One small child wounded. Over.

- Roger. Ah damn. Oh well ...

- Well, it's their fault for bringing their kids into a battle.

- That's right."