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Stench Prompted U.S. Troops to Burn Corpses
Time Online ^ | 10-22-2005 | Time

Posted on 10/22/2005 6:17:26 AM PDT by AliVeritas

There simply wasn't enough room on the rocky hilltop above Gonbaz village in southern Afghanistan for the U.S. platoon and the corpses of the two Taliban fighters. The Taliban men had been killed in a firefight 24 hours earlier, and in the 90 degree heat, their bodies had become an unbearable presence, soldiers who were present have told TIME. Nor was the U.S. Army unit about to leave — the hilltop commanded a strategic view of the village below where other Taliban were suspected to be hiding.

Earlier, Lt. Eric Nelson, the leader of B Company, I-508 platoon leader had sent word down to Gonbaz asking the villagers to pick up the bodies and bury them according to Muslim ritual. But the villagers refused — probably because the dead fighters weren't locals but Pakistanis, surmised one U.S. army officer.

It was then that Lt. Nelson took the decision that could jeopardize his service career. "We decided to burn the bodies," one soldier recounts, "because they were bloated and they stank." News of this cremation may have remained on these scorching hills of southern Afghanistan, had the gruesome act not been recorded on film by an Australian photojournalist, Stephen Dupont. Instead, when the footage aired on Australian TV on Wednesday, it unleashed world outrage. A Pentagon spokesman described the incident as "repugnant" and said that the army was launching a criminal investigation into the alleged desecration of the corpses, which is in violation of the Geneva Convention on human rights.

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


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; burn; oef; soldiers
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To: marty60
I guess your sensibilities would be happier if the maggots and buzzards took care of the bodies.

Read my post again. I said if they did it for sanitation purposes then so be it. There is nothing wrong with burning bodies if they present a health problem. It isn't clear that's what was going on in this case. If they did it to send some kind of message or to vent their frustration or anger, it is wrong. I was a 19 year old grunt in Vietnam and saw mutilation of enemy corpses on occasion. Fortunately, we had officers who would put a stop to it. Once you allow your troops to start desecrating bodies for fun you no longer have an army, you have a mob.

41 posted on 10/22/2005 6:59:24 AM PDT by Casloy
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To: Shalom Israel

I know what you mean.


Move along... religion of peace... nothing to see here... those aren't bombmakers on the top floor of the mosque... they're preparing for Ramadan... just move along... have some kool-aid on your way out... we are a peace loving people...


42 posted on 10/22/2005 7:00:36 AM PDT by AliVeritas (Weldon Ops, Earle Fatwa Team, Pork Jihadi and MOOSEMUSS Don't Tread on Me!)
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To: Just mythoughts

You had to say it... incoming. Probably drafted something already.


43 posted on 10/22/2005 7:01:41 AM PDT by AliVeritas (Weldon Ops, Earle Fatwa Team, Pork Jihadi and MOOSEMUSS Don't Tread on Me!)
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To: mlc9852
Allowing it to be videotaped wasn't the best PR. The burning was fine.

That was my thought as well. Burning the rotting corpses was the correct thing to do, but someone screwed up badly by letting the press make a terrorist propaganda film out of it.

44 posted on 10/22/2005 7:02:12 AM PDT by kennedy ("Why would I listen to losers?")
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To: SandRat

Outstanding!


45 posted on 10/22/2005 7:02:19 AM PDT by AliVeritas (Weldon Ops, Earle Fatwa Team, Pork Jihadi and MOOSEMUSS Don't Tread on Me!)
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To: AliVeritas
...A Pentagon spokesman described the incident as "repugnant" ...

We will never win the war against radical islamic terrorists unless the Pentagon is purged of these politically correct 9/10 minded soldiers.

46 posted on 10/22/2005 7:06:09 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The democRATS are near the tipping point.)
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To: AliVeritas

I suppose if they had buried the corpses, there would now be a stink (pun intended) over not having conducted the proper services for the departed terrorists. It doesn't matter what you do, the left will always find something wrong with it.


47 posted on 10/22/2005 7:07:32 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (It is Watergate yet? Is it Watergate yet?)
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To: river rat

Burning bodies, heads on pikes; these are the things that spell VICTORY to me!

Screw the muzzie terrorist PIGS!!!

LLS


48 posted on 10/22/2005 7:07:44 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Preserve America... kill terrorists... destroy dims!)
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To: AliVeritas

I wonder where the reporter was during the time the corpses were laying there rotting. Surely he wasn't sitting with the soldiers enjoying the air. As far as that goes, I don't know how they stood the stench of burning bodies either.
I just fail to see how watching a corpse rot over weeks is more respectful.


49 posted on 10/22/2005 7:10:41 AM PDT by midwyf
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To: Lee'sGhost

Exactly. Where's that photo of the mutilated Americans hanging from the bridge in Falluja? And where's the World outrage over those desecrated bodies?


50 posted on 10/22/2005 7:12:12 AM PDT by Trampled by Lambs (I think, therefor I Zot!)
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To: yoe
Some of my buds in OZ tell me that this guy has gone underground, to keep himself from going underground permanently. Seems some of our Aussie brethren don't like LSM scum any better than we do!

LLS
51 posted on 10/22/2005 7:12:32 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Preserve America... kill terrorists... destroy dims!)
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To: Casloy
Some how I can't link 24 hours, near a hundred degrees heat, requests for the locals to retrieve the bodies, and incineration as 'for fun'.

Burning a corpse is not mutilation, it is sanitation.

And, I don't remember reading anything about burning trash in the Geneva Conventions.

I do, however, bet that this lieutenant will have his butt handed to him just so we can show the left how much we care.

52 posted on 10/22/2005 7:13:24 AM PDT by norton (This is not about the DIA or the CIA. This is about CYA...)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The only court martial that comes out of this ought to be the "pentagon spokesman" for aiding and abetting the enemy.


53 posted on 10/22/2005 7:15:38 AM PDT by coladirienzi
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To: AliVeritas

This is ridiculous!

So, now our solodiers must know/adhere to proper burial procedures for the various enemies we are fighting. If these terrorists were hindu, burning the bodies would have been the proper thing to do, I believe.

I'm guessing this Lt. would still be in a bunch of trouble if he had instead buried the bodies w/o a "proper" ceremony.

Should we include a lawyer & a religious expert in every military unit, now? Oh, I know. Let's give all incoming enlistees a 6 month course on how to honor the bodies of the fallen "freedom fighters".

It wont be long before KILLING the enemy will be illegal!

Why would anybody enlist, given this type of PC nonsense?

ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

One more thing. Since the "journalists" are obviously on the side of the terrorists, we need to imbed them with the terrorists, not our boys. As a side benefit, we could watch some awesome video of JDAMs flying right at the camera. Picture Christianne Amanpour holding her jilbab while leaning into a blast, like a hurricane reporter during Katrina. Priceless!


54 posted on 10/22/2005 7:16:37 AM PDT by Mister Da (Nuke 'em til they glow!)
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To: AliVeritas
Muslims traditionally bury their dead, and as one Kabul cleric Mohammed Omar told newsmen, "The burning of these bodies is an offense against Muslims every where. Bodies are burned only in Hell."

Well, maybe the psyop teams can position the message in a more palatable manner for the locals: "The evil and hated Taliban met their deserved Hell in the quickest and most expedient manner possible."

55 posted on 10/22/2005 7:20:07 AM PDT by CheneyChick
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To: Fresh Wind
Soon coming to you from PC libs:
The terminated enemy, sent to their virgins, must be provided with proper religious burial and ceremony. Family to be compensated for life, provided with housing and food, children with education and weddings, paid by ugly American rich taxpayers. Apology to be given by our entire government.
The better way in order to avoid conflicts and world hating ugly Americans is for America to surrender, elect democrat(ic) government, disarm and take care of the poor nations.

Just vote the bastRATs out into oblivion! NJ Dump Corzine!!!
56 posted on 10/22/2005 7:25:14 AM PDT by Leo Carpathian (FReeeePeee!)
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To: AliVeritas

They should have doused the corpses in pig blood first.


57 posted on 10/22/2005 7:30:24 AM PDT by Paul_Denton (The U.S. should adopt the policy of Oom Shmoom: Israeli policy where no one gives a sh*t about U.N.)
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To: CheneyChick
Muslims traditionally bury their dead, and as one Kabul cleric Mohammed Omar told newsmen, "The burning of these bodies is an offense against Muslims every where. Bodies are burned only in Hell."

However, burning bodies or Bibles is not something a Muslim worries about.....so be it; I have no sympathy what so ever for the religion of Islam, if it indeed is one - with the likes of Calypso Louie spouting the Muslim line, it makes you wonder. The WOT is just that; what has religion got to do with it? War is hell, hardly a place for Political Correctness.......Lt. Nelson did the right thing for the right reasons!

58 posted on 10/22/2005 7:47:01 AM PDT by yoe
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To: river rat

yeah, we only wanted marshmellows.


59 posted on 10/22/2005 7:48:45 AM PDT by PokeyJoe (There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those that don't.)
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To: AliVeritas

I just hope they remembered to dip the corpses in pig fat before lighting them.


60 posted on 10/22/2005 7:50:59 AM PDT by TheRightGuy (ERROR CODE 018974523: Random Tagline Compiler Failure)
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