The scandal over the “Kill Team” of US soldiers involved in killings of Afghan civilians for sport and the collection of mutilated bodies as trophies continues to grow, with Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine releasing some of the secret photos the team took.
The photos include two showing a “Kill Team” member posing with the corpse of a slain farmer, and another showing two corpses chained to a pole. Der Spiegel says they have other, even more graphic photos, which they have yet to release.
The photos were originally seized by the Army from the “Kill Team” members and were never meant to be released to the public. The US issued a public apology for the photos, saying they were “repugnant.”
One former EU representative to Afghanistan, however, downplayed the seriousness of the photos, saying that they are just “one more regrettable incident” and that they will have “little bearing” on public opinion.
I have to ask, with regard to the photo posted above- was that Afghan killed without his pants or shoes on? One has to wonder if he was killed while using the toilet, or if he was stripped after his death- or if he was made to strip and THEN shot.
Any way you slice it, this is abominable behavior by US troops and should be dealt with immediately and harshly. Murder is murder, period, and these soldiers (as a veteran Marine and soldier myself, I hesitate to use that term for them) should be charged as such.
Yes John,
But this soldier will be given a teary trial showing his wife and kids and he most probably will be just discharged without regard to the lives he took in Afghanistan, but it is ok for most americans, there were only muslims.
I bet you this soldier will shit his pants if he was face to face with anybody who can defend himself.
Was he alive? Seems his head is up, his face is pixelated, and blood has streaked from near his left kidney? The soldier is grinning broadly; possibly taunting him… What happened here might be a quite a story on it's own. This is an interesting time to release those photos…what's 'no fly' mean when you see a US soldier grinning at a wounded man on his belly? Seems no wonder Germany is not into it.
The guy looks seriously holed and dead to me. Might even have had bound hands a bit earlier.
Check out the "Spiegel" link for larger pix.
Now it looks like the two were holding his head up, but can't make sense of the grip. <Shrug>.
Animals like this exist in all armed forces and they only serve to make life harder on both civilians and their fellow troops.
They need to be rooted out and either tossed in the slammer or shot.
Only releasing the photos is repugnant, not the act itself. As if this is no longer happening. War creates monsters, and these monsters will be coming back home.
Always interesting that it is the photos that are deemed an affront as opposed to the behavior depicted.
I've also seen a few articles pondering the muted Afghan response ….all which seem to miss the obvious – that the behavior shown is no surprise to them …they've been seeing it up close and personal for years.
So good to know that the Afghanis accept the US is trying so hard to "help"- and that they will always welcome "our" apologies and understand these ongoing "mistakes". NOT http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-05-04/news/the-d…
This is one of the case but there are thousands such accident because american soldiers are fed up with unjust war.
One thing is clear americans are worst creature in the world to kill innocent children and youth as the Irakis told me in Irak all the youth have been killed.
This is war of arroganz.
American troops did the same to Germans and Japanese during WWI WWII and vetinam, Korea, Philopines,Iraq–not one suffered a bit. How many enlisted devil's rejects that were found brutelizing Iraqies are in jail today ? NONE!
Coming from a family of warriors (dating back hundreds of years) which lost five members in the two "World Wars" of the last century.. I must say there is no way to make war out to be anything than hideous slaughter–immoral, rotten, pointless,vain–except by utter and contemptible bullshit. These things pictured are not, of course, unusual. On the contrary, this is normal warfare at all times and in all places. It's the bullshit surrounding war that is depraved. Thus the armchair warriors, the despicable draftdodging scum that compelled us to war in the ME, are fit for the lowest hole in hell.. which if I recall The Inferno, was reserved for traitors.
From what I've read, the youth had a grenade thrown at him prior to the kill team opening fire. They tried to claim the child had attacked them with the grenade.
Point is people are treating this as some kind of crazy, one-off isolated incident. Nothing could be further from the truth. Decades from now, we will still be paying the price of our brutality. Blowback will become a household word. Even today the memories of Japanese, German, and Italian brutality in WWII causes a great deal of political friction.
America has to learn the hard way that anytime you go around killing people, there will be consequences. Especially if it's done in a sadistic manner on a consistent basis. We won't be high, mighty, and rich forever. Could you think of life in an America where foreign powers intervene regularly in order to look after their own interests (done in the guise of humanitarianism and democratic values, of course)? We set that precedent. We will be beaten over the head with our own rulebook.
The only thing 'wrong' here is that these guys got caught. So along with that, there's some regrets about the 4 000 images they made of their 'work'. Nothing intrinsically wrong with the work, though
War IS hell, eh? Shit happens. Man up and soldier on.
'Deth from Above' and God Bless America!
The Military is only sorry they got caught. And no its not just a "small handful" that is doing this. It's most of the military. Watch some Youtube videos and you hear the disparaging remarks made by most of the brave brave soldiers. Did you know that the "brave" soldiers fired almost 65,000 bullets per "insurgent" killed. Most Afgans have never even heard of "911" WAR IS MASS MURDER wrapped in a flag and ribbons. END THE WARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ONE TRILLION per year for the fraud "War on Terror"
RON PAUL 2012!!!!!
This kind of behaviour was called SOP in Vietnam – standard operating procedure. See the film 'Winter Soldier'. It is inherent in the training and conditioning of the enlisted men. They tell the recruits that 'the army will make a man out of you'. Well, they make something – like a man, but different, intensifies all the worst qualities of men and destroys the humane part. Replaces the 'kindness instinct' with the 'killer instinct'. I saw that right from the start and went AWOL before it could even begin to work on me.
The Problem is that over the years there have been many scandals like this and to be blunt NOTHING is done. Put these soldiers in the Stockade for fifteen years, Prosecute Every instance and it will stop and stop very quickly. Make sure that EVERY soldier that goes to THEATRE is as part of his training signs off that he is aware of what happens.
Perhaps the one good thing about wars is that it lets loose these animals on foreign soil. Otherwise these monsters would be on American streets raping, assaulting, and killing Americans.
One prefers not to think that way. But our whole war offensive has failed to teach our soldiers that foreigners, dark people, starving people, people who speak a different language, have a different cutlure and religion, are humans, too. Regardless of what netenyahoo/libermann might believe.
In other words, it's okay if they do it to THEM not us even though it was this sick society that created the monsters to begin with. That Amerikan exceptionalism that's killing the country and the planet. It must be good to be Amerikan and feel that one is entitled to do as one pleases, particularly, in other people's lands and with their populations and resources.
Wait until these "heros" return stateside to beat up their wives and neighbors, perhaps shoot a few as well. The military is in the business of murder. They do not protect and serve as much as they exist to project American power overseas and are trained to see the "enemy" as hunters see prey animals not fellow humans.
I'm sure that takes care of everything. Or at least, till they do it again. Just like with the drones.
US out of the Middle East now! Yankees go home.
looks like the af guy was shot in the back by one of the free and brave
And Bradley Manning is in prison!!!!!
Civilized, civilizations, and militarism regime go hand in hand.., they work as a team calling it "Kill Team" or better yet.., killing machines in from of humans.