U.S. troops accused of killing Afghans for sport

Houston Chronicle ^ | Saturday, September 18, 2010 | CRAIG WHITLOCK -- Washington Post

[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...

[Grizzled Bear]

See my post #18. Remember, we are dealing with the eneMedia. If these guys really targeted innocent civilians, they deserve to hang. However, before we start stringing them up, let's get the facts.

[panthermom]

I agree. This story has been around a while. One of those accused Mom, commented today on Michael Yon’s site that the true story has not been told yet. We will have to wait and see it unfold. I pray it is not true because if it is, those there now, 99.9% honorable, will pay the price.