U.S. soldiers accused of murdering Afghans ‘posed for pictures with corpses and body parts’

Hey guys ,i found this story and i tought it was shocking. Has anyone else heard of anything like this??
Is there any more information around about it?

Those who have seen the photos say they are grisly: soldiers beside newly killed bodies, decaying corpses and severed fingers.

Troops allegedly shared the photos by e-mail and thumb drive like electronic trading cards. Now 60 to 70 of them are being kept tightly shielded from the public and even defense attorneys because of fears they could wind up in the news media and provoke anti-American violence.

‘We’re in a powder-keg situation here,’ said Eugene R. Fidell, president of the National Institute for Military Justice and a military law professor at Yale University.

Since the images are not classified, ‘I think they have to be released if they’re going to be evidence in open court in a criminal prosecution,’ he said.

Major Kathleen Turner, a spokeswoman for Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, where the accused soldiers are stationed, acknowledged that the images were ‘highly sensitive, and that’s why that protective order was put in place.’

She declined to comment further

full story with a lot more!!

This is shocking and its going to be a court case by the look of it, will this harm the whole forces if its to blow wide open?? I sincerly hope it doesnt!! ,all them decent people over there doing honourable work,it really pisses me off when a bad apple spoils a bunch!!

When a war stretches out toooooo loooong, this is what starts to happen.

Like some of our soldiers in Vietnam wearing belts of Viet Cong ears as trophies.

We need to disengage, now.

Well, this should go to court. There's no reason to be as barbaric as Vlad Dracul. Not that he had pictures or anything, but come on. How is it that demented people such as these pass a psych eval? Seriously? All you have to do is just be breathing, able to be brainwashed these days? Or has our military always been this way? I am not bashing anyone except those that have done this terrible deed, and only IF it has been done.

Originally posted by butcherguy
When a war stretches out toooooo loooong, this is what starts to happen.

Like some of our soldiers in Vietnam wearing belts of Viet Cong ears as trophies.

We need to disengage, now.

I couldnt agree more with you my friend, bring the troops home already.
Thanks for the star and flag
Its a dam shame all the good work done doesnt get head lines,but if this sticks it will go world wide with uproar.I think they are trying to keep it quiet.
guys have you heard anything like this on regular news??
thanks for the reply aswell

Originally posted by Divine Strake
Well, this should go to court. There's no reason to be as barbaric as Vlad Dracul. Not that he had pictures or anything, but come on. How is it that demented people such as these pass a psych eval? Seriously? All you have to do is just be breathing, able to be brainwashed these days? Or has our military always been this way? I am not bashing anyone except those that have done this terrible deed, and only IF it has been done.

Thanks for the reply buddy
I agree it should go to court if it was done,i think it has to be true with the comments of people in such positions
,Im not bashing anyone also,i think there has being a lot of great work done by the decent soldiers over there.
I think a lot of Afgani and iraq people have seen a lot of kind ,decent human beings over there.
Its a shame this crap happens .

reply to post by johnny c
I want to point out that I am thankful for our members of the armed services and am a veteran myself.

When there is a war, there needs to be a damn good reason for it to begin with, and attainable goals to reach.

George H W Bush set those goals and met them in Operation Desert Storm. He was chastised for not finishing the job then, but we met the goals he set, then brought our people home.

Then we tried it again, with no good reason or goals..... we are still there.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by johnny c

 

I want to point out that I am thankful for our members of the armed services and am a veteran myself.

When there is a war, there needs to be a damn good reason for it to begin with, and attainable goals to reach.

George H W Bush set those goals and met them in Operation Desert Storm. He was chastised for not finishing the job then, but we met the goals he set, then brought our people home.

Then we tried it again, with no good reason or goals..... we are still there.

Thank you for your service my friend,i agree with you,i am also gratefull for the america services and im from Ireland,my Grandad had his ship torpedoed ,watched his crew being shot in the water. He got away to be later captured and kept in a prisioner of war camp for 10 plus years building the burma rail road.
Can i ask you a question?
In the war crime trial in the hague my grandad would not testify, have you any idea why someone in the forces would not testify?
Thanks in advance ,i couldnt ask him because he passed away.

My town is filling with soldiers comming back. You can smell the blood of children on them. Crime skyrockets. It was good having them away, but now they have returned with mental baggage.

Originally posted by earthdude
My town is filling with soldiers comming back. You can smell the blood of children on them. Crime skyrockets. It was good having them away, but now they have returned with mental baggage.

There is a anti anti soldier person of the highest order,thanks or your reply all veiws welcome

Oh cool, another anti American flag and star fest with the usual suspects....................already covered multiple times on here......................I don't find the pics as offensive as having a mosque built near ground zero, by a tax evading sim lord with questionable financing, I might add. Get over it, you did nothing to nprevent this, it happens, and if you think it's confined to american soldiers only................just look at the attrocities commited and photographed around the world daily..............only our troops are held accountable. To the person smelling the death of children, I'd have to ask how you know what it smells like, and suggest if you don't like it move.............somewhere you'll be appreciated.......judging by the characters in D.C. now, I'd suggest there.

When a society puts its young men in uniform, and sends them to a foriegn country to kill its inhabitants, why do people act with shock and horror when they find out thats exactly what those troops are doing.

Soldiers have celebrated and documented the death of the enemy for thousands of years, do we think humans now are more responsible peace loving creatures.......No ?

If you don't want these pictures don't go to war.

Originally posted by adifferentbreed
Oh cool, another anti American flag and star fest with the usual suspects....................already covered multiple times on here......................I don't find the pics as offensive as having a mosque built near ground zero, by a tax evading sim lord with questionable financing, I might add. Get over it, you did nothing to nprevent this, it happens, and if you think it's confined to american soldiers only................just look at the attrocities commited and photographed around the world daily..............only our troops are held accountable. To the person smelling the death of children, I'd have to ask how you know what it smells like, and suggest if you don't like it move.............somewhere you'll be appreciated.......judging by the characters in D.C. now, I'd suggest there.

usual suspects ?? what do you mean by that?? you dont find pictures of dead people being messed with more offensive than a blocks,bricks and cement? [how can you say this when you havent seen the pictures?]
If im a usual suspect on what?? saying how much i liked america? saying how much i respected the armed forces,i even thanked people for their service on this very thread.Try read it !!
Once again your wrong every western civilized country holds their forces responsable for stuff like this!!
I agree the post about above was sick and that is why i did not ask about why he felt this way.I didnt care when he went on like this.. I done nothing to add to the situation with soldiers or war.
next time dont put everyone in one bucket pal, If people want to talk about wrongs to humanity they will!!! live with it.anti american get your facts right!!!! if you had read the thread you would see my family gave a lot for american wars and we are irish[never lived in America ever!]who live in Ireland. Man have you made my blood boil

Originally posted by Seeker PI
When a society puts its young men in uniform, and sends them to a foriegn country to kill its inhabitants, why do people act with shock and horror when they find out thats exactly what those troops are doing.

Soldiers have celebrated and documented the death of the enemy for thousands of years, do we think humans now are more responsible peace loving creatures.......No ?

If you don't want these pictures don't go to war.

edit on 6-10-2010 by Seeker PI because: Spelling

Who are you talking to there? someone who went to war i presume? It aint me

For those who are "shocked"

War is hell. Grow up already.

Originally posted by ATS4dummies
For those who are "shocked"

War is hell. Grow up already.

I have lived in a war zone i dont have to grow up! that will make you grow up before your time.
Do you think soldiers should get free reign to do anything?

Originally posted by butcherguy
When a war stretches out toooooo loooong, this is what starts to happen.

Really? How do you explain the behavior of troops in the Pacific during WW2? That was only four years, and troops were sending ears and skulls home to girlfriends.

It stems from troops dealing with an enemy that doesn't really show too much quarter. I'll bet after US troops came across a couple of their own dead that have been mutilated, tortured and executed, the gloves come off.

Originally posted by earthdude
You can smell the blood of children on them..

Geez, what a joke.

Have you ever sat down and talked with any of the troops, or is it too much for you to get off your moral high horse?

Originally posted by signal2noise

Originally posted by butcherguy
When a war stretches out toooooo loooong, this is what starts to happen.

Really? How do you explain the behavior of troops in the Pacific during WW2? That was only four years, and troops were sending ears and skulls home to girlfriends.

It stems from troops dealing with an enemy that doesn't really show too much quarter. I'll bet after US troops came across a couple of their own dead that have been mutilated, tortured and executed, the gloves come off.

Thanks for the reply mate, seems that some people on here think there veiw should be all thats aloud.
we see if their toughts would change if someone was standing on one of their families blue lifeless head while someone was taking a picture of it.

Originally posted by signal2noise

Originally posted by earthdude
You can smell the blood of children on them..

Geez, what a joke.

Have you ever sat down and talked with any of the troops, or is it too much for you to get off your moral high horse?

I know i tought i read it wrong,sick or what?

Originally posted by signal2noise

Originally posted by butcherguy
When a war stretches out toooooo loooong, this is what starts to happen.

Really? How do you explain the behavior of troops in the Pacific during WW2? That was only four years, and troops were sending ears and skulls home to girlfriends.

It stems from troops dealing with an enemy that doesn't really show too much quarter. I'll bet after US troops came across a couple of their own dead that have been mutilated, tortured and executed, the gloves come off.

This is true.
I have spoken to many WWII vets about their experiences in the war, in depth. Two different ones, from different units, said that they did NOT take any German prisoners of war after the Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge. This constituted a war crime, but I can't say that I could blame them, and probably would have handled it the same way. One officer that was with Military Intelligence told me that when they were having problems getting answers from some German POW's, said that they got answers in this way...

They took the highest ranking German officer and stood him with his hands tied behind his back on the running board of a captured German staff car. They drove down the road about 50 mph, past the building where the rest of the POW's were standing. As they came up to the corner of the building, they pushed him off the car, into the side of the building (brick wall).


In WWII, the situation was somewhat different, in that we had soldiers that landed in Anzio fight all the way to German soil, not cycling out on a one year rotation. Many individuals in the Pacific theater island hopped the whole way. Those who weren't killed or wounded did see some sick things perpetrated by the Japanese soldiers, many of whom were forced to resort to cannibalism of Allied POW's to avoid starving to death.

I still believe that when our troops are in a foreign country too long, for reasons that are not clear to the soldiers themselves, there will be a breakdown in adherence to the Geneva Convention.