JSOC Special Forces Commander Comes Bearing Sheep, Apologizes to Afghan Family

[bigtree]

In the dusty Afghan village where U.S. troops killed two pregnant women and three other innocent civilians in February, a remarkable scene played out today between an aggrieved father and the most senior special operations officer in the United States military.

Vice Admiral William McRaven -- the commander of Joint Special Operations Command -- showed up with two sheep, and in the cultural understanding of the region, surrendered himself.

He didn't literally surrender. But he didn't have to. In the code followed by the southeastern Afghan family so devastated by the February incident, offering two sheep is the equivalent of begging for forgiveness.

And the father -- whose has lost two sons, two daughters and one grandchild -- accepted McRaven's apology, according to family members and Afghan investigators.

Presenting sheep is such a powerful form of requesting forgiveness that the father is now obligated not to take revenge, even though he has told reporters he wanted to become a suicide bomber . . .


read report: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Afghanistan/special-forces-apologize-afghan-civilian-deaths-sheep/story?id=10320603&page=1

[cali]

1. this is heartbreaking on so many levels.

[bigtree]

2. thanks for understanding

[proteus_lives]

3. It's a good apology to make. US forces should be going for cultural understanding.

Afghanis throughout the region will approve of this gesture.

[cali]

4. yeah, because 2 sheep more than make up for 2 pregnant women.

it's a sick fucking war. it disgusts me no end.

[proteus_lives]

6. I know it doesn't and you know it doesn't.

They didn't make this gesture for the father or the dead women. They made it for the region.

[Mari333]

9. ditto.you speak for me.

[Poll_Blind]

5. Cutting up dying/dead pregnant women to remove the bullets you shot them with.

Hrm.

Two sheep = "Please don't become a suicide bomber though, yeah, we did machinegun everyone in that house and claimed the innocent men we killed slit their own pregnant wives' throats (honor killing, dontchaknow)- even though they were just trying to protect innocent pregnant women. And then we got caught and had to admit we did it. We are real fucking tore up about it on this end, too."

Well, I mean, I guess it's case-closed then.

PB

[cali]

7. spot on. sickening as it gets.

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. OMG - how LOW will the USA stoop to justify it's mad killing spree???

.
.
.

"Presenting sheep is such a powerful form of requesting forgiveness that the father is now obligated not to take revenge"

SO

The USA can just stock up on sheep to kill these people?

Did not the USA supply Viagra to Afghan warlords to gain their support?

I'm not sure if I want to live long enough to see what the World does to the USA

But the World WILL do something

Fuckadee

Mai Lai comes to mind

will the mindless killing ever stop?

something tells me . .

no . .

where is the "change" Barack? . . .



I WANNA SEE CHANGE!

FOR THE BETTER

[cali]

11. unlikely the world will do anything.

And the U.S. is hardly the sole purveyor of ugly war.

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. I know

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.
.

and that makes me sad

[UpInArms]

10. I watched this segment tonight and wept

for the father, who had lost his sons, his daughters and his grandchildren - born and unborn

and after it was all over, when they said that he had forgiven all and could not hold it against the military, I cried - knowing that I am not so forgiving

that I, who has lost so little in comparison in this life, could never forgive the slaughter of my children, my grandchildren - the future as I see it -

that I would have told this SOB to take his sheep and stuff them up his ass

...

but, then, I am not nearly as forgiving ...

[Poll_Blind]

13. Kick n/t

PB