Not saying that the guy qualified for the protections of medics, it doesn't seem likely as I understand the rules - but what makes the guy driving the van "positively identified" as a combatant? The military investigation (http://www.scribd.com/doc/29487634/Centcom-FOIA) you yourself linked states only that the van was being "used as a means of escape" and that "It is unknown what, if any, connection the van had to the insurgent activity" - basically, doesn't sound like they thought the driver was a combatant at all.
Had the van been actually marked with the red cross/red crescent/red diamond I'd be sayin' the soldiers responsible should be in prison, alls I'm sayin' now is it's healthy to have some public furor and it'd be good to adjust combat policy to reduce the death rate of noncombatants like reporters and the guy in the van. This is about as low-stakes a war as war can be (for Americans), I think strict adherence to the Geneva Convention is called for, and to the extent it's feasible I'd rather the military erred on the side of sticking to the spirit of the law. It's sort of horrifying how many people here and elsewhere in the US want to just throw all the rules of civilization out the first instant they become inconvenient.
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Date: 11/4/10 03:22 (UTC)Had the van been actually marked with the red cross/red crescent/red diamond I'd be sayin' the soldiers responsible should be in prison, alls I'm sayin' now is it's healthy to have some public furor and it'd be good to adjust combat policy to reduce the death rate of noncombatants like reporters and the guy in the van. This is about as low-stakes a war as war can be (for Americans), I think strict adherence to the Geneva Convention is called for, and to the extent it's feasible I'd rather the military erred on the side of sticking to the spirit of the law. It's sort of horrifying how many people here and elsewhere in the US want to just throw all the rules of civilization out the first instant they become inconvenient.