As we have now all had the opportunity to view the moments leading up to this "beating" (thank you BBC) it shows the troops under attack from either grenade or mortar. So a few little scrotes got a bit of a kicking - so what!
The News of the World should be the ones being vilified here. This "exclusive", a 2 and a bit year old exclusive, is nothing more than a way to sell papers. Just like the Mirror and the back of the truck incident. When will these (so called) journalists realise that all they are doing is feeding the insurgency, damaging the good that our troops have achieved and promoting the chances of suicide bombings in the UK?
The fact that the Iraqi youths concerned didn't come forward 2 years ago to complain of their treatment speaks volumes! Perhaps they accepted that they deserved a bit of a kicking and, apart from the kick in the balls, there isn't much more than fisticuffs shown on the video.
This is not about 'journalism and getting a story' its about selling newspapers. Nothing more and nothing less. Unfortunately these journalists (and I do not refer to all journalists) do not think through their actions and the possible repercussions.
At a time when the UK military is about to deploy to the most lawless part of Afghanistan, whilst still trying to support the Iraqi authorities in the south of Iraq, I hope that the death of any British serviceman from rioting or suicide bomb in either theatre leads to the "journalists" in question doing the right thing. I have my own views on what that should be but I wont hold my breath!!
Personally I think the time has come to ban journalists from all military installations and from op theatres - you cannot trust them! I know I am tarring them all with the same brush, but that is what they do to the UK military every time they publish events such as this; particularly when they fail to publish the FULL story!