Posted on 09/16/2007 4:13:45 AM PDT by RedRover
Insurgents regroup
Images recorded by the Scan Eagle at Haditha: 0814 to 0910/ November 19, 2005
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0814 – above - Possible trigger house approximately 250 meters (roughly 750 feet) south of the IED ambush position. Scan Eagle operator received intelligence information suggesting the IED was triggered from this house south of Route Chestnut and proceeds to the area for a closer look. Soon after the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) led by Lt. Kallop arrives it moves to this location on foot and searches this house without results.
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0829 - Insurgents believed to be fleeing from the presumed trigger house about 250 meters south of ambush site.
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0829 – Another frame showing the same two insurgents fleeing the area.
The two suspects are approximately 250 meters (750 feet) south of the IED blast site moving in an unstated direction – probably north toward a large palm grove where other insurgents were gathering. This assumption is based on the reported flight path of Scan Eagle as it moved from north to south searching for the source of automatic weapons fire that Marines reported receiving enroute to the ambush site.
Meanwhile, SSgt Wuterich and his squad are still north of the suspected trigger house after clearing the first two houses involved in the controversial “assault” after the ambush was triggered.
Capt. Jeffrey Dinsmore, the 3/1 S-2 (Intelligence Officer), testified that he was not controlling the Scan Eagle and had several conversations with its operators to keep them looking in the immediate battle area.
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0844 - Wide angle view of the palm grove located about 1,500 feet northeast of Route Chestnut – out of the picture at the bottom of the frame. The palm grove is located between the River Road and the Euphrates River.
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0844 – Scan Eagle detects three insurgents in palm grove about 1.5 kilometers (1,500 feet) north of the ambush site. Only one is shown in this video capture.
The UAV was initially directed to circle the palm grove to look for the source of rifle fire from a long range ambush Marines coming to the IED site were receiving while transiting Routes Chestnut and Viper. When seen in its entirety the Scan Eagle shows a mosaic of insurgents advancing toward the Marine’s location. These were all two and three-man cells closing in on the ambush area from multiple directions through the palm grove.
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0845 – Scan Eagle spots motorcycle courier and follows him as he drives around the palm grove on so-called “Palm Grove Trail” contacting small cells of insurgents gathering under the protective umbrella of palm fronds. The road is part of a labyrinth of connecting paths and trials though the palm grove.
The motorcycle courier depicted here would circle the palm grove on partially obscured roads for the next 45 minutes contacting cells of insurgents moving toward the battle area.
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0859 - First sighting of blue car described by Cpl. Joe Haman when his squad from 4th (Weapons) Platoon was called into action in response to the attack of SSgt. Wuterich’s convoy. Barely visible above and to the left of the car is the motorcycle rider. He passed the blue car and then turned around and stopped next to it.
The 4th Squad’s mission was to go to a location identified as a “safe house” where insurgents were seen to be congregating. Haman’s squad was approx. 600 meters west of the ambush site at a Combat Outpost (COP) when the IED exploded. Haman reported intense small arms fire coming from that direction immediately after the IED exploded.
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0859 - Blue car and motorcycle stopped in palm grove for about 2 minutes.
Almost immediately insurgents came out of the trees to meet up with occupants of blue car and the motorcycle courier.
The insurgents received arms, supplies and instructions.
Larger image below, click to enlarge...
After about 10 minutes of milling about the insurgents seem to hold a pep rally of some sort. The demonstration lasts for a minute or so before the gathering disperses.
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After the rally the insurgents split up into small cells and again disappear into the trees. Scan Eagle periodically tracks them as they move south toward the battle area. Then its attention shifted to vehicular traffic which seemed to be increasing in the palm grove area.
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This is part two of a three-part series. See below for links to parts one and three.
They have never before been seen by the public.
The images are presented in chronological order using the time/date stamps created by the Scan Eye recording system as the video was being made.
The video we obtained was prepared for the upcoming Article 32 hearing of Captain Lucas McConnell, formerly the company commander of Kilo Co., 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines at Haditha in 2005. McConnell was relieved of command in April, 2006 for alleged dereliction of duty following allegations of murder by members of his infantry company during the day-long battle in Haditha that left 24 Iraqis and one Marine dead, and 11 Marines wounded.
This presentation is intended to refute allegations made in Time magazine and other media outlets which claimed the Marines massacred the Iraqi civilians in a fit of rage following the death of LCpl Miguel “T.J.” Terrazas, one of Kilo Company’s Marines. The cable television network CNN also obtained a copy of this video presentation but for reason best known to its producers elected to disregard most of the exculpatory images contained in it.
[NOTE: Video images with enhancement boxes were altered by selecting the area and brightening it with a Photoshop tool for clarity.
The rectangular white box on each image is the camera target area, designated by the Scan Eagle operator.]
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Nat Helms is a Contributing Editor to Defend Our Marines. He is a Vietnam vet, journalist, combat reporter, and, most recently, author of My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story (Meredith Books, 2007).
Part one: The ambush site: 0759
Part two: Insurgents regroup: 0814 - 0910
Part three: The last battle: 0913 – 1544
Thanks to Nat Helms as well. The pics are so obvious as to what happened.
This is a “told you so” to those who didn’t believe the Haditha Marines.
Great shots of the insurgents regrouping. Is there any sense from this video series how far south the house that the Scan Eagle focussed on as the trigger house was from houses 1 and 2? Houses 1 and 2 seemed like they were directly south of the IED site. House 1 seemed 200 ft south, house 2, about 350 feet south. Does the video give any clear shots of these two houses?
The Scan Eagle operator wasn't interested in houses 1 and 2 because they had already been cleared. So it's difficult to tell if houses 1 and 2 were on the video. From the air, every house in Haditha pretty much looks the same.
We might be able to do a match-up via Google Earth. I think cobra found the coordinates of the ambush site. The Washington Post also posted an aerial view of the ambush site which could be used for matching purposes.
If anyone wants to pitch in, we can use all the help we can get.
The suspected trigger house was 250 meters south of the ambush site (meaning where the IED exploded) and houses 1 and 2 were also south of the ambush site.
That might be wrong and the Taxi guys were possibly the lookouts.
Here is a guess of the positions, remember that all the action took place within a mile radius.
Great stuff. Thank you.
At the moment, Nat's off spearing catfish in the Ozarks, but when he's back, we might be able to refine the distances and positions around the ambush site.
As said elsewhere, I'm also looking forward to getting all the rest of the surveillance material. What's here is just a fraction of the total recorded on that day.
You’re very welcome, ant. It’s amazing how far dedicated volunteerism can take you. And it’s pitiful that the media, (with all its resources, staff, budget) won’t budge outside its own narrow agenda.
They are the enemy within.
This is a GREAT opportunity for media bloggers to show EXACTLY what CNN suppressed, and whose side they are on. There was not a single identifiable insurgent in the segments they broadcast.
CNN showed the courier on the motorcycle, and the blue car, without any context.
And CNN showed the bombs hitting the safe house without showing the insurgents throwing grenades off the roof.
But leaving out so much, CNN left the impression that we still couldn’t be sure what had happened.
I agree. Let’s put the MSM in its death throes as well. They are as culpable as anyone for this fiasco.
That is a good guess. Are you saying the trigger house that was suspected by the Marines and investigated at the time is where the two lines intersect?
The bottom of the V is 250 meters from where the IED was, this is my best guess of which house they suspected the Insurgents used to trigger the blast.
Gotcha, usmcobra. I got confused with the grey box on the side. Red, I have never read if the Marines determined where the IED was triggered from. Do you know?
Back in business!
Whoo Hoo! Thanks, freema, and thanks to the Mod who cleared it up.
The trigger house, as far as I know, is still undetermined. Actually, it is still undetermined if there even WAS a trigger house (as opposed to some guys sitting in a car, for instance).
We do know that Dela Cruz took prisoners in a house and the IED might have been set off from there. Nothing at all has been written about Dela Cruz’s actions (aside from the what car) or what, if anything, was learned from the detainees.
Or it’s possible that the four Iraqis who tried to shoot LCpl Sharratt and SSgt Wuterich were the triggermen.
This is just one of the questions I wish a Corps briefing on Haditha would address.
Actually, Nat did the heavy lifting. My job is to hang around on Free Republic with all the hot babes.
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