U.S. Army officer to be tried for alleged Afghan sport killings

[swag]

Source: CNN

... Gibbs, 26, faces a military court martial on Friday for numerous charges, including the murder of three Afghan civilians.

He is the highest ranking soldier charged in what prosecutors say was a rogue "kill squad" that allegedly targeted Afghan civilians and made the deaths look like casualties of Taliban counterattacks.

He has also been charged with removing body parts from his alleged victims, such as teeth and fingers, to keep as souvenirs; planting "drop weapons" to fake attacks on soldiers; and intimidating several of his own unit members from speaking out against the unit's alleged murder plots and rampant drug use.

After his May 2010 arrest in Afghanistan, Gibbs showed investigators a tattoo on his lower left leg depicting crossed pistols and five skulls. He told investigators the skulls were a way to keep track of his kills in both Iraq and Afghanistan, according to investigative interview notes shown to CNN.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/us/afghan-sport-killings-court-martial/index.html

[TwilightGardener]

1. He's not an officer, if his rank is Sgt. That said, he's a murderous nut

who probably joined the army in the hopes of being able to kill people without punishment.

[swag]

2. Sergeants are non-commissioned officers.

Anyway, I didn't write the headline.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Yes, but they are never referred to as simply officers. CNN writers are ignorant of the military.

If this HAD been an officer, it would be even worse, would have meant sick dealings higher up in leadership.

[BadtotheboneBob]

8. Link headline reads...

U.S. Army sergeant to be tried for alleged Afghan sport killings...

[pinboy3niner]

10. It was corrected when the story was updated

It originally was identical to the OP. (The last update was at 12:58 PM EST.)

[KansDem]

4. Meet Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, and some of his pals...(graphic)

Cpl. Jeremy Morlock poses with the body of 15-year-old Gul Mudin, an innocent, unarmed Afghan boy who was murdered by Morlock and Pfc. Andrew Holmes in the village of La Mohammad Kalay. The US soldiers then staged the site of the killing to make it appear as if Mudin was an insurgent. Notice the missing pinky finger on Mudin’s right hand– Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs chopped it off with a pair of medical shears and presented it to Holmes as a souvenir from his first kill.


This mangled mess is all that remains of an insurgent killed by a US helicopter gunship. “Kill team” members were dispatched to gather up the grisly remains with dignity for the deceased, but instead they photographed and desecrated the corpse.

--more--
http://morallowground.com/2011/03/28/rolling-stone-publishes-graphic-unedited-u-s-army-kill-team-war-crime-photos/

edited to add "graphic" warning...

[kooljerk666]

5. Let him be tried by Afghan Courts...........

[pnwest]

9. That would be totally just. Better yet, let him...

...loose in the village without uniform or weaponry. He deserves the misery that would befall him. Jesus, no wonder we are so hated. Only takes one like this to undo the good that a hundred others have done.

[Big_Mike]

12. Kipling had the proper idea of who should get all these guys

Turn them over to the Afgan women: (excerpted from The Young British Soldier, by Rudyard Kipling)

When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.

Read the stories of the Russians who were left behind by their units during Russia's time there. Not a good way to die, but still better than these scum deserve.

And I mean scum: I retired in '95 and they all need to hang after a nice trial.

[OnyxCollie]

6. K&R. nt

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[Solly Mack]

11. K&R