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Old 03-22-2011, 05:50 AM
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Post Army Braces For Worst As Trophy Photos of Murdered Afghan Civilians Leak

Army Braces For Worst As Trophy Photos of Murdered Afghan Civilians Leak



Who killed the Afghan civilians? Not the Taliban -- US forces. Twelve men are on trial in Seattle for going rogue psycho and "staging" fake enemy attacks in order to justify attacking civilians.

That is older news -- they're already being prosecuted -- but now Der Spiegel has published the photos.
Some of the activities of the self-styled "kill team" are already public, with 12 men currently on trial in Seattle for their role in the killing of three civilians.

Five of the soldiers are on trial for pre-meditated murder, after they staged killings to make it look like they were defending themselves from Taliban attacks.

Other charges include the mutilation of corpses, the possession of images of human casualties and drug abuse.

All of the soldiers have denied the charges. They face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

The case has already created shock around the world, particularly with the revelations that the men cut "trophies" from the bodies of the people they killed.

An investigation by Der Spiegel has unearthed approximately 4,000 photos and videos taken by the men.

The magazine, which is planning to publish only three images, said that in addition to the crimes the men were on trial for there are "also entire collections of pictures of other victims that some of the defendants were keeping".
The US military has strived to keep the pictures out of the public domain fearing it could inflame feelings at a time when anti-Americanism in Afghanistan is already running high.
The frustrating thing is that the Taliban-lovin' Pashtun, confronted with shoe-on-the-other-foot demonstrations of psychopathic murder, will never put 2 and 2 together and realize "Wait a minute! This is what we're doing! This is wrong!"

Obama Ghraib? Drudge's new headline makes a point I didn't consider -- this is Obama's Abu Ghraib.

I hate politicizing stuff like this, but I'll do it defensively: The claim was made that Abu Ghraib was chargeable to Rumsfield, Cheney, and Bush, that it went "straight to the top," that it was their cowboy mismanagement that encouraged it or caused it.

Well. What about this "kill team" then? We seem to have a very, very, very distracted president. Maybe if he spent more time watching Afghanistan than practicing his drive he could have averted this.

It took me a fair amount of searching to discover when these crimes took place -- under Bush or under Obama? Since most media reports don't provide this basic information, I began to suspect that it occurred under Obama.

Suspicion confirmed.
When and where did these crimes take place?

They are alleged to have happened earlier this year [the article was written in September of 2010], while the 5th Stryker Brigade was stationed at Forward Operating Base Ramrod, west of Kandahar. The region is one of the most dangerous in Afghanistan.

How did they come to light?

The investigation was launched after a soldier from the 5th Stryker Brigade informed his superiors that some of the accused were smoking marijuana. The informant was allegedly attacked and threatened with death as a result. Staff Sgt Gibbs reportedly showed the fingers collected from Afghan corpses to the whistle-blower to stop him talking.
My point is not that this is Obama's fault but rather that it as much Obama's fault as Abu Ghraib was Bush's -- that is, not really either man's fault.

But if the leftist media is going to claim outrages are always chargeable to top leadership, then they have to explain why that rule applies to Bush but not to Obama.

Although, in fairness -- Obama's lazy and spends most of his time watching basketball games and playing golf. So he probably really didn't have anything to do with it, as it has barely anything to do with any major event that occurs in the country or the world.


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  #2  
Old 03-24-2011, 11:10 AM
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One thing is that we have a distorted view of our military due to those WWII films where US soldiers and sailors are ALL portrayed as heroic, brave, steadfast, and the epitome of what we all know are true American values. The truth is we never were. I've spoken with the WWII vets in my family, and with a couple of Wehrmacht vets who told me about atrocities committed by all sides in that conflict (especially, it seems, by the Japs). I've also heard plenty of such stories from Vietnam and Korea vets. The general public has to understand that the stresses of war have and will cause humans to do things that would repulse them in normal conditions. Also, we know that any given military was and is a refuge for some of societies worst personalities. Combine that with weapons and power, and you have what those men are being accused of in Afghanistan. I'm not saying what they did was justified or right but they're being in a war zone should be taken into consideration.

You probably think that, since I was never in combat, I'm talking out of my ass but I'm just going by the information I've accumulated over the years. I don't think blame should be placed on Bush or Obama for this. I don't believe either one gave orders to sanction such action. Things will get out of control and this is, shamefully, one of those times.
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Old 03-28-2011, 01:55 PM
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Statement by the Army on Photographs Published by Rolling Stone



"The photos published by Rolling Stone are disturbing and in striking contrast to the standards and values of the United States Army. Like those published by Der Spiegel, the Army apologizes for the distress these latest photos cause. Accountability remains the Army's paramount concern in these alleged crimes. Accordingly, we are in the midst of courts-martial, and we continue to investigate leads. We must allow the judicial process to continue to unfold and be mindful that the government has distinct obligations to the victims and to the accused, which include compliance with the court's protective order to ensure a fair trial. That said, the Army will relentlessly pursue the truth, no matter where it leads, both in and out of court, no matter how unpleasant it may be, no matter how long it takes. As an Army, we are troubled that any soldier would lose his 'moral compass' as one soldier said during his trial. We will continue to do whatever we need to as an institution to understand how it happened, why it happened and what we need to do to prevent it from happening again."

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/
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Old 03-29-2011, 07:47 PM
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Calling BULLSHIT on Rolling Stone



29 March 2011

Seldom do I waste time with rebutting articles, and especially not from publications like Rolling Stone. Today, numerous people sent links to the latest Rolling Stone tripe. The story is titled “THE KILL TEAM, THE FULL STORY.” It should be titled: “BULLSHIT, from Rolling Stone.”

The story—not really an “article”—covers Soldiers from 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) in Afghanistan. A handful of Soldiers were accused of murder. It does in fact appear that a tiny group of rogues committed premeditated murder. I was embedded with the 5/2 SBCT and was afforded incredible access to the brigade by the Commander, Colonel Harry Tunnell, and the brigade Command Sergeant Major, Robb Prosser. I know Robb from Iraq. Colonel Tunnell had been shot in Iraq.

The brigade gave me open access. I could go anywhere, anytime, so long as I could find a ride, which never was a problem beyond normal combat problems. If they had something to hide, it was limited and I didn’t find it. I was not with the Soldiers accused of murder and had no knowledge of this. It is important to note that the murder allegations were not discovered by media vigilance, but by, for instance, at least one Soldier in that tiny unit who was appalled by the behavior. A brigade is a big place with thousands of Soldiers, and in Afghanistan they were spread thinly across several provinces because we decided to wage war with too few troops. Those Soldiers accused of being involved in (or who should have been knowledgeable of) the murders could fit into a minivan. You would need ten 747s for the rest of the Brigade who did their duty. I was with many other Soldiers from 5/2 SBCT. My overall impression was very positive. After scratching my memory for negative impressions from 5/2 Soldiers, I can’t think of any, actually, other than the tiny Kill Team who, to my knowledge, I never set eyes upon.

The online edition of the Rolling Stone story contains a section with a video called “Motorcycle Kill,” which includes our Soldiers gunning down Taliban who were speeding on a motorcycle toward our guys. These Soldiers were also with 5/2 SBCT, far away from the “Kill Team” later accused of the murders. Rolling Stone commits a literary “crime” by deceptively entwining this normal combat video with the Kill Team story.

The Taliban on the motorcycle were killed during an intense operation in the Arghandab near Kandahar City. People who have been to the Arghandab realize the extreme danger there. The Soviets got beaten horribly in the Arghandab, despite throwing everything including the Soviet kitchen sink into the battle that lasted over a month. Others fared little better. To my knowledge, 5/2 and supporting units were the first ever to take Arghandab, and these two dead Taliban were part of that process.

The killing of the armed Taliban on the motorcycle was legal and within the rules of engagement. Law and ROE are related but separate matters. In any case, the killing was well within both the law and ROE. The Taliban on the back of the motorcycle raised his rifle to fire at our Soldiers but the rifle did not fire. I talked at length with several of the Soldiers who were there and they gave me the video. There was nothing to hide. I didn’t even know about the story until they told me. It can be good for Soldiers to shoot and share videos because it provides instant replay and lessons learned. When they gave me the video and further explained what happened, I found the combat so normal that I didn’t even bother publishing it, though I should have because that little shooting of the two Taliban was the least of the accomplishments of these Soldiers, and it rid the Arghandab of two Taliban.

Some people commented that our Soldiers used excessive force by firing too many bullets. Hogwash. And besides, they were trying to kill each other. Anyone who has seen much combat with our weak M-4 rifles realizes that one shot is generally not enough, and the Taliban were speeding at them on a motorbike, which very often are prepared as suicide bombs. If that motorcycle had been a bomb, as they often are, and got inside the group of Soldiers and exploded, they could all have been killed. Just yesterday, in Paktika, three suicide attackers came in, guns blazing, and detonated a huge truck bomb. Depending on which reports you read, about twenty workers were killed and about another fifty wounded.

In the video, our guys would have been justified in firing twice that many bullets, but at some point you are wasting ammo and that is a combat sin. The Soldiers involved in that shooting told me that the Taliban on the back may have pulled the AK trigger, but the loaded AK did not fire because the Taliban didn’t have a round in the chamber. Attention to detail. At least one also had an ammunition rack strapped across his chest.

This could go on for pages, but Rolling Stone is not worth it, and thrashing them might only build their readership. I’ve found in the past that boycotts work. I led a boycott against one magazine and it went bankrupt. It’s doubtful that Rolling Stone will go bankrupt for its sins, but you can cost them money not by boycotting their magazine, but by boycotting their advertisers. That hurts. Just pick an advertiser whose products you already buy, boycott it, and tell the advertiser why you are not buying their product.

Now I’ve got to get back to work.

Thank you for the incredible words of support and encouragement. I am returning to Afghanistan in February for a combination of work with our military forces, and 'Lone Ranger writing' away from our troops. Your support is crucial. Please consider using Paypal, or my Post Office Box, or other Methods of Support. Again, thank you for all!

Your Writer,

Michael Yon

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/cal...ling-stone.htm
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