US Alarm Over Video Showing Pakistani Soldiers Executing Civilians

US Says Swat Valley Video Appears to Be Authentic

Pakistan’s military is facing growing international concern over the harsh tactics used in its various US-demanded military offensives against tribal areas, after a video emerged today showing soldiers executing six blindfolded civilians in the Swat Valley.

The video is said to particularly be causing tension with the US military, though that tension was obviously already on the rise after NATO helicopters attacked a Pakistani base earlier in the day, killing three soldiers.

US officials say that the video appeared to be authentic, and that there are “things you can’t fake” in the video, which was released by a group called Pashtuns International Association.

Pakistan’s military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, insisted that the video was part of a “propaganda campaign” against the nation’s army, but it is hardly the first time the military’s dicey human rights record has come into question. It is just the first time the video evidence has been staring everyone in the face.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.