US Military in Afghanistan aided and abetted child-rape and child-sex-slave-trade

[DetlefK]

http://www.salon.com/2015/09/21/theyre_guilty_by_association_american_armed_forces_look_the_other_way_as_afghan_soldiers_rape_children/

A new New York Times report reveals that court records and interviews show U.S. soldiers have been instructed to ignore the sexual abuse of boys by military allies in Afghanistan, including instances that occur on American bases...

...

The common practice of Afghan boys being used as sex slaves by military commanders known as bacha bazi, whose literal translation means “boy play,” is an illegal but longstanding practice in Afghanistan and according to some reports, the more-than-300-year old-tradition is not relegated to only the most rural parts of the country, but has infected the Afghan military. As the Times explains, “boys as young as 9 are dressed as girls and trained to dance for male audiences, then prostituted in an auction to the highest bidder. Many powerful men, particularly commanders in the military and the police, keep such boys, often dressed in uniforms, as constant companions for sexual purposes.”

...

Another American-backed militia commander, said former Special Forces Captain Dan Quinn, kept a young boy chained to his bed as a sex slave. When Quinn’s confrontation of the abusing Afghan turned physical, Quinn says he was relieved of his command by the U.S. Army and pulled out of Afghanistan entirely. Now the Army, four years later, is trying to forcibly retire an 11-year Special Forces member who aided Captain Quinn:

...

The Times report also accounts a time when an Afghan military commander raped a 14-year old girl abducted while working in the fields, only to be sentenced to one day in jail after U.S. soldiers reported his crime. The raped girl was forced to marry her abuser. Another commander, reports the Times, murdered his 12-year-old daughter in a so-called honor killing for having kissed a boy.

...

“At night we can hear them screaming, but we’re not allowed to do anything about it,”

...

“My son said that his officers told him to look the other way because it’s their culture,”

[get the red out]

1. Their culture

I can't count the times I have heard that excuse for horrific abuse and human rights violations.

These stupid wars should have never been waged. They just cause our own military to support this kind of evil, along with every other reason the US has no business waging war.

[Geronimoe]

2. Who will be the next Bin Laden?

Allowing children to be abused will backfire.

[Enthusiast]

3. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

Why can't the United States do the right thing? Ever?

[bemildred]

4. Same old, same old.

Nothing is too debased for us to wind up defending it as long as we get our wars.

[Fumesucker]

5. Policies start somewhere in the chain of command

It would be nice to know how far up this one originated.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. How do you sleep while hearing

children being raped? I can't imagine being able to serve under those circumstances. We shouldn't be there. Some cultures are not worth defending. Just the thought of one of our soldiers dying in defense of those sick fucks makes me taste bile.

[unhappycamper]

7. Afghanistan is the Graveyard of Empires

We have occupied Afghanistan since 2002.

Thirteen years later we get headlines like this.

Afghanistan is the Murder Capital of the world.

Afghans have joined the Great Migration to Europe along with the other refugees fleeing ISIL.

What the fuck are we doing there????? Better yet why is this happening on our watch?

Obama's Peace Prize is sure getting an unwelcome workout.

[Skwmom]

8. This going on in Afghanistan was reported in the past.

Can't remember when. I believe I read it in print. It was about an outpost (I believe) where they would bring in young boys and the soldiers were told to look the other way (it was their culture). The article talked about how difficult that was for the soldiers (of course). It was disgusting then and is disgusting now. No wonder the suicide rate in the military is so high.

But if I read about it, I'm sure people at the New York Times would have (because I believe it was in print). Just wonder why this wasn't made a major issue then?

But the same happened with the Catholic Church abuse of children. I remember reading about it in the paper when I lived in Florida and then years later it was finally addressed nationwide.

[bemildred]

9. I remember a couple of times before in Afghanistan that it has come up.

But in any case it's not secret.

[nil desperandum]

10. What really pisses me off

is the good soldiers and officers who did something about this have had their careers ruined or ended....

What the hell happened to my Army? We were not the guys protecting the monsters, we were supposed to be the guys killing the monsters...

We have senior officers at the Puzzle Palace breaking UCMJ every week it seems and being allowed to retire quietly.

Meanwhile an SF officer loses his career over this issue and an enlisted man is facing serious charges...

Not obeying an illegal order is supposed to be the appropriate action, apparently we've gone so far off the rails we no longer know our way back home.