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U.S. troops accused of killing Afghans for sport
Houston Chronicle ^ | Saturday, September 18, 2010 | CRAIG WHITLOCK -- Washington Post

Posted on 09/18/2010 7:33:50 PM PDT by Willie Green

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — The U.S. soldiers allegedly floated 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, hatched 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 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.

The subsequent investigation has raised accusations about whether the military ignored warnings that the out-of-control soldiers were committing atrocities. 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.

Two more slayings would follow. Military documents allege that five members of the unit staged a total of three killings in Kandahar province between January and May. Seven other soldiers have been charged with crimes related to the case, including hashish use, attempts to impede the investigation and a retaliatory gang assault on a private who blew the whistle.

Army officials have not disclosed a motive for the killings and macabre behavior. Nor have they explained how the attacks could have persisted without attracting scrutiny. They declined to comment on the case beyond...

(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; lies; warcrimes
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To: ClearCase_guy
what did Obama know, and when did he know it?

Thats what I want to know.

21 posted on 09/18/2010 10:11:42 PM PDT by marron
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To: Future Snake Eater
There is.

Do you mean there is nothing to this or there is something to this?
22 posted on 09/18/2010 10:17:42 PM PDT by JSteff ((((It was ALL about SCOTUS. Most forget about that and HAVE DOOMED us for a generation or more.))))
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To: bigheadfred; lurk; Willie Green; ClearCase_guy; calex59; Future Snake Eater; FlingWingFlyer

Yo Fred,

Willie doesn’t care about any of that as long as he get’s his government funded handouts. Check out post 206, then read the rest of this thread from the beginning...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2538221/posts?page=206#206

Willie is Free Republic’s favorite socialist.

Hi Willie! How ya doing?


23 posted on 09/18/2010 10:42:06 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear (Does not play well with others)
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To: marron; ClearCase_guy

Someone once said, “Elections have Consequences.” Who said that?


24 posted on 09/18/2010 10:44:42 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear (Does not play well with others)
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To: Grizzled Bear
Someone once said, “Elections have Consequences.” Who said that?

O'bastard, if we had listened closely.
25 posted on 09/18/2010 11:10:36 PM PDT by Studebaker Hawk (It's said these geeks are a dime-a-dozen. I'm looking for the man with the dimes. Freddy Blassie)
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To: Grizzled Bear; Admin Moderator
Just because someone claims war crimes were committed doesn't mean they happened. Of course, any reasonable patriot already knows this. Do you, Willie?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I would consider YOU a perfect example of a pot/kettle/black practitioner of persistant character assassination.

26 posted on 09/19/2010 5:32:42 AM PDT by Willie Green (Some people march to a different drummer – and some people polka.)
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To: Willie Green

Liberal media military dream story ...just in time for the elections...and as with Vietnam...they try to use these stories to justify the adminitrastion’s dereliction of their military responsibility.

Its the same old tiresome liberal game.


27 posted on 09/19/2010 5:35:13 AM PDT by mo
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To: bigheadfred

28 posted on 09/19/2010 5:36:12 AM PDT by Daffynition ("Life Imitates Bacon, but Bacon does not imitate Life. Bacon IS life." ~paulycy)
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To: Willie Green; Grizzled Bear; moder_ator
You pinged the Moderator because Grizzled Bear suggested you take this allegation "with a grain of salt".

You've got serious issues, young man.

29 posted on 09/19/2010 5:36:43 AM PDT by Mr. Lucky
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To: eclecticEel
Lurking in the background we find BRITISH PRESS members. They've been hyping this for a very long time.

It's part of the problem of being a Brit (a desire for pain) and part of a problem in being a member of the New Europe (a hatred for Americans).

There might be some truth in some of this but likely not.

In the end these reporters, like their counterparts and bedmates at TIME Inc. will get off scott free and young soldiers will have their lives ruined.

I think it's time to turn the tables on some of this stuff.

30 posted on 09/19/2010 6:01:17 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Future Snake Eater
You don't know that ~ so far this is just a story shrounded in rumor and inuendo.

After Falujah I'm prone to blame the MSM first ~ even if nothing at all happened ~ and we don't know that anything did happen.

31 posted on 09/19/2010 6:03:48 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Mr. Lucky
No, I did it because he's an obssesive/compulsive stalker.
The only explanation I have for his persistant behavior is that he is a sexually disoriented pot/kettle/black troll and imposter.
32 posted on 09/19/2010 6:27:30 AM PDT by Willie Green (Some people march to a different drummer – and some people polka.)
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To: muawiyah; JSteff

Because it’s my brigade. I just came back from Afghanistan with them. Soldiers talk, and the talk isn’t good. So far this is the only group of Soldiers who have been accused or admitted to killing civilians, but there have been other bad incidents since we’ve come back, as well.

The commander got everyone riled up to kill, kill, kill throughout their train-up. There was barely, if any, interest in traditional counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy, he was into counterguerilla. That approach is very enemy-centric, and could possibly work over there, but nobody else supports counterguerilla, only COIN. So, in order to maintain appearances, we ended up doing a half-assed version of COIN, and the Soldiers paid the price. We came out of there with a lot of casualties and a very bad reputation with the rest of the coalition forces we worked with. It was not a good year.


33 posted on 09/19/2010 6:45:31 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater ("Get out of the boat and walk on the water with us!”--Sen. Joe Biden)
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To: Willie Green; Admin Moderator
Willie,

All I've done on your peculiar little train threads is point out your abusive behavior. If you don't like the truth, change your behavior.

I know you despise freedom and would gladly force our nation's citizens into mass transit by prohibitive gasoline taxes. Do you also hate our Soldiers?

On several occasions, I've posted the following.

Be aware that when you disagree with Willie, he will resort to personal insults and verbal abuse. This is because Willie lacks any substantial rebuttal; therefore he rotates five basic arguments.

1 - Race Card. If you don’t agree with his imbecile AMTRAK boondoggles you’re an antiurban racist.

2 - “Shut up, Noob!” I’ve seen him use this within the last four months against a FReeper with a 2003 sign up date.

3 - “I’ve posted more articles than you!” This is reminiscent of the elephant arguing it is more intelligent than the dolphin because it produces a higher volume of excrement. To be fair, Willie certainly posts a lot of crap.

4 - The “Teresa Heinz Kerry.” When John Kerry ran for the presidency, Teresa argued that if you disagreed with her husband’s health care plan you were “stupid.” Similarly, Willie says you’re stupid if you don’t like railroad boondoggles.

5 - Baloney. Oddly enough, this is the closest thing Willie has to a coherent argument.

Truth really bothers you, Willie.

34 posted on 09/19/2010 8:26:30 AM PDT by Grizzled Bear (Does not play well with others)
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To: Mr. Lucky
You've got serious issues, young man.

He's got more issues than the National Geographic. Check out post 206 on this thread.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2538221/posts?page=206#206

35 posted on 09/19/2010 8:30:08 AM PDT by Grizzled Bear (Does not play well with others)
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To: Willie Green; Mr. Lucky; Admin Moderator
No, I did it because he's an obssesive/compulsive stalker.

Willie, get over yourself. I don't go looking for your demented ravings. I have enjoyed poking fun at your Marxist ravings, along with a lot of other posters. Lately, I've ignored your tired old pro socialist train threads. Your race baiting and class envy has gotten old. This time, however, you've posted an antimilitary hit piece.

The only explanation I have for his persistant behavior is that he is a sexually disoriented pot/kettle/black troll and imposter.

Project much?

36 posted on 09/19/2010 8:38:11 AM PDT by Grizzled Bear (Does not play well with others)
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To: lurk

The father of one of those accused TRIED to blow the whistle, there are e-mails and chats that took place only days after the 1 attack.


37 posted on 09/19/2010 8:53:36 AM PDT by panthermom
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To: Grizzled Bear
This time, however, you've posted an antimilitary hit piece.

I have a newsflash for you, bozo: It's not a crime against conservatism to post a properly excerpted article from the Washington Post on FreeRepublic.

So take you autoerotic spin-monkey antics and cram 'em.

38 posted on 09/19/2010 9:13:13 AM PDT by Willie Green (Some people march to a different drummer – and some people polka.)
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To: Willie Green
It's the Washington Post so you risk a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY by taking any of their articles at face value.

This story will play out, and guarantee, in the end, much of it will be shown to be ill-founded, based on gossip, and the conclusions commenters are now drawing will be shown to be ill-targeted and formatted.

Not everybody is a Rusty Calley ~ in fact, Rusty wasn't a Rusty Calley.

39 posted on 09/19/2010 10:04:57 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Willie Green; Admin Moderator
So take you autoerotic spin-monkey antics and cram 'em.

Are you finished pinging the Moderator?

I never said that you can't post articles from the Washington Post. I don't have the authority to limit what can be posted on FR. I'm not Jim Rob and neither are you.

I simply said that the story should be taken with a grain of salt. In case you haven't noticed, most of the media and much of our government is hostile to our nation's armed forces. Since I had the gall to suggest approaching this story with caution, you reacted with a conniption fit.

You're nothing more than a washed up, over the hill, school yard bully with a Napoleon complex. When you can't get the respect you feel you are due with abuse and insults, you cry to the moderator.

The rest of us won't bow down before Box Car Willie's great Marxist/Race Baiting/Class Envy wisdom and authority. Deal with it.

Run along and play with your trains.

40 posted on 09/19/2010 1:58:03 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear (Does not play well with others)
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