The Washington Post reports that “an investigation by an Afghan human rights commission alleges” that a “platoon of elite Marine Special Operations troops reacted with “excessive force” after an ambush in Afghanistan last month, opening fire on pedestrians and civilian vehicles along a 10-mile stretch of road and killing 12 people — including a 4-year-old girl, a 1-year-old boy and three elderly villagers.”
The investigation, based on dozens of eyewitness interviews, found that Marines in a convoy of Humvees continued shooting at at least six locations along the road, miles beyond the site where they were ambushed by a suicide bomber in a van. They fired at stationary vehicles, passersby and others who were “exclusively civilian in nature” and had made “no kind of provocative or threatening behavior,” according to a draft report of the investigation obtained by The Washington Post.
35 civilians were wounded.
Before people start jumping up and down and say that it all could very well be based on lies:
U.S. officials familiar with the report by the constitutionally mandated Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said its findings are “troubling” and consistent with the U.S. military’s preliminary investigation, which led this week to the opening of a criminal investigation into the March 4 shootings in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangahar Province.
Together, the reports contain “more than sufficient evidence of wrongdoing” by the Marines, said Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the House panel that oversees U.S. Special Operations forces. “There is very troubling information in those reports that must be investigated,” said Smith, who was briefed Thursday by Maj. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, head of the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.
That sounds about right: this should – obviously – be investigated. If the investigation by the U.S. military finds that the findings of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission are accurate, the marines should be held accountable.
The sad truth is that if the West wants to fight terrorism and extremism effectively (in Afghanistan), we have to be ‘the good guys’ for the local population. ‘We’ have to build a bond with them. There has to be a good, working relationship. They have to know that the West is there to help them.
Not to randomly shoot them.
Now, of course I cannot possibly say that it happened as described in the WaPo article, but there is enough reason to be quite suspicious.
The West, albeit especially the U.S., cannot afford to have these things happen (too often).
Cross posted at my own blog.
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