Hmm, seems to be a bit of propaganda going on here. Without access to the originals and their provenance it's a bit difficult to make any concrete statements but here goes:
SOURCE: Claims to be from "an attacker" and/or his pal - let's see the evidence then. The lack of source information casts immediate doubt on the whole thing. Newspaper, hostile power, Iraqi dissidents, some foolish students/UAS/UOTC bods etc
CONTENT: Pictures look as if they may be staged - that may have been the intent of the troops(?) committing these acts. Consider the "condition" of the victim - looks well fed and take a look at the lower legs and feet (what you can see); there don't appear to be any injuries consistent with the claims made in the article AND they don't look like any Iraqi's legs I've ever seen (no comments please). As for the other inconsistencies such as 4 tonner, boots, uniforms and rifle - one needs access to the originals to make definitive judgements however, if you and your mates had just been kicking seven shades out of someone then some of the effluvia would have ended up on the clothes of those present and there is no evidence of this.
AUDIENCE: This is intended for the public, firstly the UK public and then the rest of the world. Also consider the effect this is having on members of the govt - where would you make cuts or savings if you were in a position to make those judgements having been presented with this "evidence"? Also to be considered are the Iraqi people who will have seen these images on TV and the internet - gain the support of the uncommitted!
MEDIA: Photographic - pictures speak volumes but they can easily be faked or set up/staged. In the current climate of www a picture with or without words attached is a powerful tool in warfare.
EFFECTS: What is the desired effect of these photos? Here's a starter for ten:
Sway public opinion away from support to the war - could be a newspaper thing or others with a vested interest.
Turn those Iraqis in Iraq (or out) who currently support the coalition effort against them.
Maintain the support of the loyal.
Gain the support of the undecided within Iraq.
Get Tommy Atkins and his mates to question the reasons for them being there.
And that is my opinion for the moment - so far it appears to be a propaganda (dirty word) effort by someone as yet unidentified. Furthermore it is having an effect - we are considering it! Personally I hope that I am right because the whole thing if true disgusts me. At the moment it just doesn't add up but the damage has been done - looks like a good campaign to me....
Comments many and varied expected and welcomed.