Gen. Ham: US Failed to Train Mali Troops in Ethics
US Never Taught Troops Not to Execute Civilians
US African Command (AFRICOM) chief General Carter Ham today conceded, in the rise of growing evidence of massive summary executions in Mali, that the US “failed” in its training of Mali’s military by skipping ethics.
Gen. Ham says that the US provided considerable training but focused “almost exclusively” on tactics and technical matters, without spending enough time teaching troops that they shouldn’t massacre civilians.
Rights groups have repeatedly reported that Malian troops have captured and summarily executed civilians in frontier cities, targeting ethnicities which are accused of being pro-rebel and capturing anyone without ID cards as “infiltrators.”
Mali’s Justice Minister had cited the US military’s own tortures and executions when presented with evidence last week, saying “no army in the world is perfect.“
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persnipoles
January 25th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Do as we say, not as we do… even when we don't say it… …Wow, so Mali's army lets in the telepathy impaired?
Richard Steven Hack
January 25th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
Why should anyone care if the US didn't train Mali troops to not kill civilians? The US does it all the time and no one cares. We only care if foreign troops kill civilians. US troops are "our boys", so we give them a pass. The only time we don't is if it gets caught on video or the foreign civilians riot.
This has been true since the US military came into existence. They murdered civilians in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam and every little "engagement" in between, not to mention at least 300,000 Iraqi civilians directly by the US military according to the Lancet study.
But, oh, we boo-hoo over some Third World conscripts killing brown people.
In my view, every single member of the US military deserves to be charged with war crimes, right up to the President.
Yonatan
January 26th, 2013 at 3:32 am
Mali troops massacring civilians – outrageous! That's the US military's job.
curmudgeonvt
January 26th, 2013 at 6:19 am
Now seriously General, how much difference do you really think classroom ethics training would have made? We shouldn't be training anyone in warfare, tactically or philosophically. They are NOT going to be our friends – might even eventually be on the receiving end of our own training. Fools.
Toba
January 26th, 2013 at 9:52 am
WWWWWWWHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTT !!!!!!!!
Tricky Dick
January 26th, 2013 at 2:52 pm
Baby killer Ham teaching ethics? There are no ethics in the AfriCom or any or the joint military commands (StratCom, CentCom, NSA, CyberCommand, JIOWC, etc.) General "I am a war fighter. I can do and say anything I want." Ham is deranged and delusional.
pete
January 26th, 2013 at 5:16 pm
gen. ham didnt say that did he? What a group of ass holes we have running our military
lydia476
January 26th, 2013 at 6:51 pm
General Carter Ham is no 'Fool" When the dust settles they ain't going to cart him off to the ICC to face charges like they did to Taylor.
His Pontius Pilate washing of hands, means all summarily execution will be credited the US and the French
charles caruso
January 27th, 2013 at 10:39 am
What does the U.S. army know about ethics?
Remember My Lai and the hundreds of massacres like it?
See new book 'Kill Anything That Moves.'
charles caruso
January 27th, 2013 at 10:39 am
What a–hole keeps deleting my best lines? P-ssy!