U.S. military lawyers are reviewing a video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters that killed a dozen civilians in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff, and that may prompt a new investigation into the incident, a military official said on Wednesday.

"We're looking at a re-investigation because of a question of the rules of engagement. Were all the actions that are depicted on that video in parallel with the rules of engagement in effect at the time?" the military official said of the preliminary review under way by lawyers with the U.S. military's Central Command, which oversees the war in Iraq.

The lawyers would then make recommendations to military commanders, which could lead to the reopening of the investigation, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We're looking at a re-investigation... We're trying to figure out if that is warranted," the official said.

The classified military video showing the July 12, 2007, attack was made public on Monday by WikiLeaks, a group that promotes leaking to fight government and corporate corruption. It has been widely viewed around the world on the internet, with many who have seen the video shocked at the seeming indifference to human life shown by the helicopter fliers conducting the attack.

Reuters