The helicopters could have fired their rockets from three or four miles away, McConville said, which would have been much safer for the pilots. They moved in close, putting themselves in greater danger, to try to avoid Iraqi civilians.
When the helicopters passed over the battle site, McConville said, the pilots took fire from the "vicinity" of the Bradley and fired four rockets. One hit the Bradley.
Still, for all of the discussion about hostile fire, the US officers suggested that there might have been a second motive for shooting the Bradley: to ensure that no one was able to steal the vehicle's communications equipment.
American officers attending the news conference suggested that the helicopter pilots might have fired at the Bradley not because of hostile fire, but because they feared that the young men who had clambered on top of it might have been trying to strip it of its equipment.
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