US service member detained for allegedly shooting Afghan civilians

[birdman]

Another vote for the Soldier not being turned over to the GIRoA.  That would fly in the face of every precedent where we've refused to give up immunity under local law for US troops.  This was one of the major issues that scuttled the extension of the SOFA in Iraq.  Won't happen.

Normally I would agree whole-heartedly...but I also would never have thought an American president would apologize as much as this one, while not demanding the same...or bow to foreign leaders...or talk down about his own country as much as this one.   Given that...I don't believe anything is impossible.  Though, I really hope I'm wrong.

[Jocassee]

I think there's probably a chance our government will cave and turn him over. I pray that's not the case.

If memory serves the English fought a war with the Chinese over a similar issue. The Brits didn't cave. We're already fighting a war, so it may be a moot point

[Lee]

The Taliban is promising revenge. I think the are just pissed off they didn't get in on the action. How many freakin women and children have those swine killed, while claiming to be sane. At least this guy is obviously nuts. We need to get our people and $ back home.

[RoadKingLarry]

Sane people don't do things like that. How his brain got broken is irrelevant. I suspect he will likely be treated more like a criminal than a casualty of the war on (some) terror.

As to Afgahnistan, the time to go has come. I believe we had valid justification for Afgahnistan and Iraq but our political leadership has bolluxed things up so badly there is no longer good reason to stay.
Pull our people and resources out then tell Karzi and the Taliban if they cause us any grief we'll carpet bomb them back to the Pleistocene era, since they are still pretty much living in the stone age anyway. Tell the turds in Pakistan the same thing and mean it.

Handing the suspect over to the Afgahns Taliban would be political suicide and would severely damage military moral beyond repair. Such an act would be Sufficient motivation for me to join in a veterans march on DC calling for Obama's resignation.

[vaskidmark]

.... As to the NCO having a number of deployments, having gotten his nugget rocked, and having marital and adjustment problems.  Do you know how many Soldiers that describes since 2001?  Many, many, many.  There may have been other warning signs but to say "Oh, this guy got knocked in the head and had marriage problems, why didn't anyone do anything?" is ridiculous.

And here we go again!  Vietnam GWOT vets with PTSD with anger problems leading to timebombs walking our streets.  But now instead of waiting till they come come to explode they are falling apart while still deployed.  Hell, even the VA is touting that line now.

And the paid "experts" for the .mil and .gov are saying that this guy most likely was an "outsider" that the SF guys did not take in even though he was assigned to their little base, and that lack of sleep may have contributed to a "berserker" state of mind.

If nothing else, I see the guy being set up for a not guilty by reaason of insanity verdict.  That, and if he does not get his VA disability compensation claim approved the say he gets out - whether or not he even files a claim - then there is truely something rotten going on.

stay safe.

[MillCreek]

Lots and lots of stories in our local media about this, from the standpoint of this is just the latest incident involving troops from JBLM. 

[vaskidmark]

These are supposed to be insurgents burning an effigy of Obama.  There is no mention of the elaborately constructed cross in any news reports that have used/featured these pictures.

Can you say "Hmmmm"?

I still believe that The Religion of Peace has room for Christianity, that the Afghani insurgents understand the difference between Christianity as a religion and the USA as a government, and the Easter Bunny.

stay safe.

[Balog]

Now now skidmark, don't be getting around paranoid there. The media just can't tell the difference between Obama and Our Lord and Saviour so it's natural they mistake a cross for a symbol of Obama.

[vaskidmark]

Now now skidmark, don't be getting around paranoid there. The media just can't tell the difference between Obama and Our Lord and Saviour so it's natural they mistake a cross for a symbol of Obama.

Agreed, but I thought that Achmed knew the difference.

stay safe.

[Scout26]

Looks like they're just toasting that crucifix, not actually burning it....

 

[wmenorr67]

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_8559/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=TCCiaJU1

There is a video that the US has shown to Afghan officials of the shooter surrendering to prove he acted alone.  No video a link, just the story.

[vaskidmark]

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_8559/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=TCCiaJU1

There is a video that the US has shown to Afghan officials of the shooter surrendering to prove he acted alone.  No video a link, just the story.

Basically the same story at HuffPo: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/afghanistan-shooting-massacre-surveillance-video_n_1343825.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D143379

But aint it amazing that there's survellience video of him coming back to surrender, but no video of him leaving the base to go out and atrocitize (is that the correct verb form?)?

I know about video being overwritten (thanks, VDOT & Surry County) but it really raises the  factor when there's only video of him travellig in one direction.

I somehow wonder if he will become so distraught that he'll Vince Foster himself.

stay safe.

[wmenorr67]

There is no confirmation either way if there is video of him leaving.  We are only showing the part of him returning.

[41magsnub]

Looks like they're just toasting that crucifix, not actually burning it....

 

it actually sort of resembles a bacon crucifix if you look at it right.

[vaskidmark]

There is no confirmation either way if there is video of him leaving.  We are only showing the part of him returning.

Funny that the camera was running when he came back buwas not when he left.

Snug your tinfoil hat down tight, folks,  This one is going to be interesting.  Do you doubt they would withhold video of him slipping out of camp if they had it?  If you buy that I'd like to discuss a few bridges I could let go for the right price, or some oceanfront property in Arizona.

stay safe.

[AJ Dual]

The Taliban is promising revenge. I think the are just pissed off they didn't get in on the action. How many freakin women and children have those swine killed, while claiming to be sane. At least this guy is obviously nuts. We need to get our people and $ back home.

I think we should just count our lucky stars that the soldier who went fugazi didn't kill any dancing boys or goats...

[Fitz]

Funny that the camera was running when he came back buwas not when he left.

Snug your tinfoil hat down tight, folks,  This one is going to be interesting.  Do you doubt they would withhold video of him slipping out of camp if they had it?  If you buy that I'd like to discuss a few bridges I could let go for the right price, or some oceanfront property in Arizona.

stay safe.

THe video came from one of the surveillance blimps. They don't record every area at all times.

Is it a stretch to believe that it was scanning, recording lots of different stuff, etc, then focused on the activity once reports of gunfire started coming in?

[Ron]

Michael Yon ways in on the subject.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/i-massacre-coming-article-1.1039181

[dogmush]

I'm normally not a huge fan of Yon.  However this quote:

Pashtuns don’t care about our justice system. They don’t even care about the Afghan government; they want blood for blood. We are being drawn into a feud.

is pretty consistent with my experiences.  I don't think there's anything, that we would be willing to do, that would appease the wronged tribe.  It'll just escalate.

I don't think there are very many service members that close to going homicidally rouge, but our military can, and I fear will, become much less restrained in our responses to attack, to hell with the ROE.

[TommyGunn]

  .....going homicidally rouge, ...........

Women's make-up on a rampage!!!!   

Sorry, had to.

[/thread drift]

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I don't think there's anything, that we would be willing to do, that would appease the wronged tribe.  It'll just escalate.

[Hawkmoon]

I still believe that The Religion of Peace has room for Christianity, that the Afghani insurgents understand the difference between Christianity as a religion and the USA as a government, and the Easter Bunny.

I respectfully disagree with you. Islam is not the "religion of peace." Islam is the "religion of submission." Supposedly, this means submission to the will of Allah, but Islamists take it to mean that everyone MUST submit to their view of what the will of Allah is. All non-Muslims are "infidels" and must be converted or exterminated. Islamists today are like the Jesuits of the Spanish Inquisition: "We will save your soul even if we have to kill you to do it. Convert or die."

Oh, wait -- Give me more of a hint when you switch on the mega sarcasm, eh?

[HankB]

C&SD, there's one major flaw with trying to use gold to appease them - they won't stay bought.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i don't know about that. a guy i worked with killed a 5 year old in baluchistan. his family hired a local guy to negotiate.  they paid 50 k to settle is.  that was 20 years ago though

[dogmush]

wrong clan.  Some clans, blood money is doable.  Pashtun's, not so much.  If they decide to make it an honor thing, then money won't cut it.