------ Forwarded Message > From: Sardar <sar...@spiritone.com> > Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 18:07:18 -0800 > To: Sardar <recon1968br...@yahoo.com> > Subject: Marine reportedly killed by opium-fueled private contractors | Raw > Story > > Marine reportedly killed by opium-fueled private contractors > > By John Byrne > Thursday, March 4th, 2010 -- 9:43 am > > Stumble This!641Share > > Pentagon originally said Marine killed in combat > > The Pentagon confirmed late Tuesday that it is investigating the death of a > 24-year-old Indiana Marine after he was shot to death in Afghanistan, > allegedly by several US-paid private security contractors. > > The contractors, according to a fellow Marine in Afghanistan who > communicated with an investigative reporter in Chicago, were Afghanis who > were found with "copious amounts of opium" and had been paid by the United > States as guards. > > "He was killed by American Hired Local National Contractors that were high > on opium the morning of the 19th," the ABC reporter quotes a friend and > fellow colleague of Lance Corporal Joshua Birchfield as saying in an email > message. > > Lance Corporal Joshua Birchfield was killed after being shot in the head > Feb. 19. The Department of Defense originally reported that he died of > "small arms fire" while in combat. > > Story continues below... > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -- > But the story is apparently darker and more complex -- raising questions of > whether the Pentagon originally concealed information about the Marine's > death. > > The Chicago Marine who tipped off the ABC reporter purportedly wrote a > detailed email surrounding the circumstances of Birchfield's death. In it, > he asserts that the young Marine was killed by Afghanis paid as private > contractors. > > "These men are armed to the teeth and supposedly here for our protection," > the fellow Marine is said to have emailed. "We have been shot at by the > contractors on several cases before this incident. We have been told to > refrain from returning fire and attempt to identify ourselves as Marines so > they stop shooting." > > "They are also drug abusers," he continued. "The shooter was found to have > copious amounts of wet opium on him shortly after the shooting ... we found > a bag of wet opium in the compound that the contractors were using to get > high." > > "A mix of drugs and gray areas of loyalty between U.S. forces and Taliban > seems to be the motivation behind the shooting," he added. > > The Pentagon, announcing an investigation into the death on Wednesday, > declined to say what exactly they were investigating. > > Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told the Associated Press "the military is > looking into the circumstances surrounding the Feb. 19 shooting of > 24-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield of Westville. He declined further > comment." > > "Maj. Carl Redding of the Marine Corps confirmed the investigation but > referred additional questions to Marine Corps officials in Afghanistan," the > AP added. > > Investigators reportedly found the private security guards with drugs and > weapons and placed several under arrest. > > ABC reporter Chuck Goudie wrote about Birchfield's death in a column in the > local newspaper The Daily Herald. Curiously, his column includes the caveat, > "The views in this column are his own and not those of WLS-TV." WLS-TV is an > ABC affiliate. > > Goudies says Birchfield "was on a security patrol about a half-mile from a > Marine forward operating base. About 7 a.m., as day broke, shots were fired > at Birchfield's patrol team, according to members of his unit. The ambush > was by U.S.-hired security guards who were supposed to be protecting a > highway paving project from Taliban-installed roadside bombs." > > "The contractors were able to have such proximity to a U.S. patrol because > we pay them to work on our FOB (forward operating base), pave the 515 > (highway), and provide security from Taliban IED (roadside bomb) implacers > in the area," he says he was told. > > Share this article: > a.. > b.. > c.. > d.. > e.. > f.. > g.. > http://rawstory.com/2010/03/marine-reportedly-killed-opiumfueled-private-contr > actors/
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