The video's perspective is obviously not very good. The guy that supposedly had an RPG, definitely did not. I saw two out of that group with AKs and the pilot said 5-6. I think they were confusing those cameras for weapons.
This is about a year and a half after I left, so SOP may have changed but our rules of engagement basically consisted of not firing unless fired upon. Now, while I think this is a stupid rule of engagement, it still wasn't followed. In any case, I can almost agree that shooting at the first group was fine, even if based on a mistake. Shooting the van however, was completely unprovoked and meaningless. Just people trying to get their rocks off by shooting people.
That part angers me. Soldiers should be disciplined and have some at least decent morals in operations such as this. I've watched and listened (radio coms) while bradleys compete keeping bodies in the air with their 25mm coax. It just sickens me to think I worked with these people for so long.
As for if it was a dangerous area: I treated 1 U.S. solder in my 13 months there. I spent about 2/3 of my time in the (at the time) hottest portion of Baghdad. Only had two fire fights the entire time. The fact is the enemy is untrained, terrible shots, and barely a threat (to our military, they do their damage to Iraqis. Police especially). Basically what i'm trying to say is when they call an area "dangerous," I'm pretty skeptical.
Like I said, the video is pretty limiting. There are many levels of what someone would say is right or wrong here (ROE vs. morals vs. mistakes made).