LA Times Publishes Awful Afghan Photos Over Strong Objection From The Army
Robert Johnson | 52 minutes ago | 2,069 | 6 LA Times
A soldier from the U.S. Army's combat hardened 82nd Airborne Division gave 18 pictures of fellow soldiers posing with dead Afghan insurgents, and sundry body parts, to the LA Times.
David Zucchino at the Times spoke with Army leaders who asked he not publish the pictures, but Times editor Davan Maharaj said there was a larger issue at stake than just the images.
Go to the LA Times to see the full pictures >
The soldier who supplied the photos says they illustrate a "breakdown in leadership and discipline" that compromised the safety of he and fellow soldiers, and the Times agrees.
Times Editor Davan Maharaj said, "After careful consideration, we decided that publishing a small but representative selection of the photos would fulfill our obligation to readers to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan, including the allegation that the images reflect a breakdown in unit discipline that was endangering U.S. troops."
The photos were taken during a yearlong deployment of the 3,500-member brigade, which lost 35 men during that time, according to icasualties.org, a website that tracks casualties. At least 23 were killed by homemade bombs or suicide bombers.
The mission occurred in February 2010 during a yearlong deployment of of the 3,500-member brigade when they lost 35 men, more than 20 to homemade bombs.
The men in the pictures had all been killed by bombs they'd made and were trying to plant to kill U.S. soldiers.
Stars and Stripes reports that the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan "strongly condemned" the publishing of the photos.
"The actions of the individuals photographed do not represent the policies of ISAF or the U.S. Army," Allen is quoted as saying. "This behavior and these images are entirely inconsistent with the values of ISAF and all service members of the fifty ISAF countries serving in Afghanistan."
"These actions undermine the daily sacrifices of thousands of ISAF troops who continue to serve honorably in Afghanistan," Allen goes on to say in the news release. "We will collaborate with Afghan authorities and carefully examine the facts and circumstances shown in these photos. As part of this process, we will determine responsibility and accountability of those involved.”
Army leaders are concerned the images will incite further violence against U.S. troops following the burning of Korans and the video of Marines urinating on dead Taliban that came out within the past several months.
No doubt that will be true to some extent, and while the anonymous soldier who gave these pictures to the LA Times may have been hoping to cause trouble for the command that made him mad, he also jeopardized the service of each of his fellow soldiers in the pictures.
There will be an investigation, regular soldiers could face legal discipline with the loss of their job and benefits. VA health care to service injuries, and the GI Bill to attend college are just a couple of benefits that could be denied to those caught up in the scandal.
The 82nd deploys a lot, and those guys have so much they're dealing with that this is the last thing they need.
Read more:
http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-of-us-soldiers-posing-with-dead-afghans-and-body-parts-published-in-the-la-times-2012-4#ixzz1sOdohGMjBUSH GOT BLAMED FOR THIS TYPE OF STUFF REMEMBER?
