Scandal of US soldiers posing with the dead
Source: Agencies |
April 19, 2012, Thursday
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In another embarrassment for the Pentagon, newly published photographs purport to show US troops posing with the bodies of dead insurgents in Afghanistan.
Top US military and civilian officials rushed to condemn the soldiers' actions yesterday, calling them repugnant and a dishonor to others who have served in the conflict. The US Army said an investigation is under way.
The photos were published in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. It said one of the photos shows members of the 82nd Airborne Division posing in 2010 with Afghan police and the severed legs of a suicide bomber. The same platoon a few months later was sent to investigate the remains of three insurgents reported to have accidentally blown themselves up - and soldiers again posed and mugged for photographs with the remains, the newspaper said. A photo from that incident appears to show the hand of a dead insurgent resting on the shoulder of a smiling US soldier.
The photos are the latest in a series of blows to the image of the US military in Afghanistan.
In January, US Marines were found to have made a video of them urinating on Afghan corpses. In February, what the military said was the accidental burning of Qurans triggered violent protests and revenge killings of six Americans. And last month, a US soldier left his base and allegedly killed 17 civilian villagers, mainly women and children.
The Times said that a soldier provided the newspaper with a series of 18 photos of soldiers posing with corpses. The soldier served in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne's 4th Brigade Combat Team and said the photos pointed to a breakdown in leadership and discipline that he believed compromised the safety of the troops.
Even before the photos were published, Pentagon press secretary George Little said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta "rejects the conduct depicted in these 2-year-old photographs."
Little added: "Anyone found responsible for this inhuman conduct will be held accountable in accordance with our military justice system."
The US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, US Marine General John Allen, also criticized the troops. He said there is a strict policy for the handling of enemy remains and it dictates they be processed as humanely as possible.
"The incident depicted in the LA Times' photographs represents a serious error in judgment by several soldiers who have acted out of ignorance and unfamiliarity with US Army values," Allen said, adding that commanders "will collaborate with Afghan authorities and carefully examine the facts and circumstances shown in these photos."
A statement by US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker also condemned the behavior.
"Such actions are morally repugnant, dishonor the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of US soldiers and civilians who have served with distinction in Afghanistan, and do not represent the core values of the United States or our military," he said.
Top US military and civilian officials rushed to condemn the soldiers' actions yesterday, calling them repugnant and a dishonor to others who have served in the conflict. The US Army said an investigation is under way.
The photos were published in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. It said one of the photos shows members of the 82nd Airborne Division posing in 2010 with Afghan police and the severed legs of a suicide bomber. The same platoon a few months later was sent to investigate the remains of three insurgents reported to have accidentally blown themselves up - and soldiers again posed and mugged for photographs with the remains, the newspaper said. A photo from that incident appears to show the hand of a dead insurgent resting on the shoulder of a smiling US soldier.
The photos are the latest in a series of blows to the image of the US military in Afghanistan.
In January, US Marines were found to have made a video of them urinating on Afghan corpses. In February, what the military said was the accidental burning of Qurans triggered violent protests and revenge killings of six Americans. And last month, a US soldier left his base and allegedly killed 17 civilian villagers, mainly women and children.
The Times said that a soldier provided the newspaper with a series of 18 photos of soldiers posing with corpses. The soldier served in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne's 4th Brigade Combat Team and said the photos pointed to a breakdown in leadership and discipline that he believed compromised the safety of the troops.
Even before the photos were published, Pentagon press secretary George Little said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta "rejects the conduct depicted in these 2-year-old photographs."
Little added: "Anyone found responsible for this inhuman conduct will be held accountable in accordance with our military justice system."
The US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, US Marine General John Allen, also criticized the troops. He said there is a strict policy for the handling of enemy remains and it dictates they be processed as humanely as possible.
"The incident depicted in the LA Times' photographs represents a serious error in judgment by several soldiers who have acted out of ignorance and unfamiliarity with US Army values," Allen said, adding that commanders "will collaborate with Afghan authorities and carefully examine the facts and circumstances shown in these photos."
A statement by US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker also condemned the behavior.
"Such actions are morally repugnant, dishonor the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of US soldiers and civilians who have served with distinction in Afghanistan, and do not represent the core values of the United States or our military," he said.
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