San Mateo, Calif.
Graphic footage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is finding its way onto YouTube.com, the Internet video-sharing site, The New York Times reported last week. TV news outlets in the U.S. show few images of combat, partly due to Pentagon restrictions, and partly out of considerations of taste and privacy. The Internet videos know no such bounds. In one, titled “Sniper Hit,” a U.S. soldier falls to the ground after being shot by a sniper round, then gets up and scurries for cover. Others show wounded soldiers or roadside bombs exploding under military vehicles. Many of the videos appear to have been recorded by American soldiers, others by Iraqi insurgents. San Mateo–based YouTube says it takes down violent videos that prompt viewer complaints, though many are quickly re-posted by site users.
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