Members of U.S. platoon in Afghanistan accused of killing civilians for sport

[kpete]

Source: Washington Post

Members of U.S. platoon in Afghanistan accused of killing civilians for sport
By Craig Whitlock
Saturday, September 18, 2010; 9:39 PM

AT JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASH. The U.S. soldiers hatched a plan as simple as it was savage: to randomly target and kill an Afghan civilian, and to get away with it.

For weeks, according to Army charging documents, rogue members of a platoon from the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, floated the idea. Then, one day last winter, a solitary Afghan man approached them in the village of La Mohammed Kalay. The "kill team" activated the plan.

One soldier created a ruse that they were under attack, tossing a fragmentary grenade on the ground. Then others opened fire.

According to charging documents, the unprovoked, fatal attack on Jan. 15 was the start of a months-long shooting spree against Afghan civilians that resulted in some of the grisliest allegations against American soldiers since the U.S. invasion in 2001. Members of the platoon have been charged with dismembering and photographing corpses, as well as hoarding a skull and other human bones.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/18/AR2010091803935.html?hpid=topnews

[Mefistofeles]

1. Looks like there was a cover-up, too

From the article: "The father of one soldier said he repeatedly tried to alert the Army after his son told him about the first killing, only to be rebuffed."

[Suich]

3. Welcome to DU, Mefistofeles!

:woohoo: :applause: :woohoo: :applause: :woohoo:

[ixion]

2. Tip of the Iceberg

Seriously.

[Bobbieo]

4. Does this really surprise anyone?

[Poll_Blind]

5. Wow, read the full article. The second and third sections are just as damning as you can get.

Good on the soldier's dad for trying to alert the military and shame on the military for having so many ways for people to get in touch with them about issues like this- but not doing a damned thing.

PB

[Karenina]

8. SOP. Do you remember

"The chick got in the way." in Iraq?

[seafan]

6. Also reported in the UK Guardian on September 8.

Sadly, our media was otherwise occupied with a wingnut preacher in Florida.


Thanks for posting this, kpete. People need to know what is being done in our name.

[Bobbieo]

7. Unfortunately, I think we'll read about them here, too, if and when they come home!!!

[Karmadillo]

9. Someone email Obama! Quick! He needs to know!

nt

[indepat]

10. Just what kind of people/society does it take to kill another human for sport?

:shrug: