This is video of some Iraqi troops that catch three insurgents with mortars. The British news agency that filmed it is horrified that the Iraqi troops beat the living crap out of them while the American troops sat back and laughed about it.

But, here's the reality: these are non-uniformed terrorists who follow no rules of war, have no qualms about murdering civilians, and will happily torture our soldiers to death. Moreover, they were caught red handed with mortars on them, so there's no question that they're guilty. In WW2, our troops would have simply lined people like that up against a wall and shot them without having a second thought about it. So, if these terrorists got roughed up a little, not only did they get off light, they are still being treated better than our troops would have been if the situation had been reversed.

Now, would I approve of American soldiers beating these terrorist? No. Would I prefer that these Iraqi soldiers didn't beat the terrorists? Yes, because it's unprofessional and even if these guys deserve it, if you get into the habit of delivering beatings, the next person may not.

On the other hand, am I going to pretend that my heart's breaking because the Iraqi troops beat the hell out of some insurgents? No way. They deserved everything they got and much, much, more. Heck, if anything, it was great to see the Iraqi troops in the lead and showing some enthusiasm for their jobs.

PS: However, I will say this, our troops should have made sure that the embeds didn't film this. That was a mistake.

Hat tip to Hot Air for the video.