Leaked U.S. video shows deaths of Reuters' Iraqi staffers

U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by helicopters that killed a many people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff, was released on Monday by a group that promotes leaking to fight government and corporate corruption.

The group, WikiLeaks, told a news conference in Washington that it acquired encrypted video of the July 2007, attack from military whistleblowers and had been able to view and investigate it after breaking the encryption code.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the video and audio were authentic.

Major Shawn Turner, a spokesman said an investigation of the incident shortly after it occurred found that U.S. forces were not aware of the presence of the news staffers and thought they were engaging armed insurgents.

"We regret the loss of innocent life, but this incident was promptly investigated and there was never any attempt to cover up any aspect of this engagement,

Iraqi journalists want probe of taped US shooting

Union of The Iraqi Journalists called on the Iraqi government to investigate the apparent killing of two Reuters employees by U.S. Apache helicopters after a Web site posted classified American military video footage of the shooting.

The July 12, 2007, incident has been reported before, but the graphic video reignited anger over the U.S. killing of civilians at the height of violence in Iraq.

"This is another crime added to the crimes of the U.S. forces against Iraqi journalists and civilians," the head of the journalists' union Mouyyad al-Lami said. "I call upon the government to take a firm stance against the criminals who killed the journalists."

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh could not immediately be reached for comment.