from SLATE: >> Photos Leak of U.S. Soldiers Posing With Dead Afghans Only days before accused members of a U.S. military "kill team" go to trial for murder, Germany's Der Spiegel newspaper has published photos of grinning American soldiers posing with dead victims. Twelve members of the Fifth Stryker Brigade are under investigation for the murders of three unarmed Afghans, and five have been charged with pre-meditated murder for allegedly killing the men and trying to make it look like self-defense. (They're also being charged with abusing drugs, mutilating corpses and possessing images of human casualties, the Guardian reports). Der Spiegel acquired the 4,000 "kill squad" photos from another member of the brigade, and ran several with a lengthy article about the group's reported atrocities. According to the paper, soldiers threw grenades at civilians, took "trophies" (teeth, fingers) from victims, and amassed thousands of photos documenting the violence, which they passed around on external hard drives. In one photo released last night, two of the men—Specialist Jeremy Morlock and Private Andrew Holmes—are seen holding up the head of an Afghan man they're accused of killing in January 2010; in another, two dead men are propped up against a pillar. Morlock initially admitted to the crimes, but later rescinded the statements, saying he was on "as many as 10 prescription drugs" when speaking to Army investigators. U.S. military officials worry that the backlash could be worse than the Abu Ghraib scandal, and foreign organizations have ordered staff on lockdown in anticipation of protests. In a statement yesterday, Col. Thomas Collins issued an apology for "the distress these photos cause," and described them as "repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States Army." Later today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai will announce Afghanistan's plans to take control of its own security. Morlock will be court-martialed on Wednesday.
Read original story in Al Jazeera [http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/03/20113216812327175.html] | Monday, March 21, 2011<< -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
