US soldiers 'killed Afghan civilians for sport and collected fingers as trophies'

Twelve United State soldiers from the Stryker infantry brigade based in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan are being charged with the murder of three Afghan civilians. Five of the soldiers are accussed of killing the Afghans, while the other seven are being charged with covering up the murders. Also, the men are being charged with assualting a fellow soldier after he released information on drug use as well as the murders.

According to investigators, talk of killing Afghan civilians for fun started after Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs arrived to base Ramrod last November. Other soldiers told investigators that Gibbs often talked about how easy it was to "toss a grenade at someone and kill them." Gibbs, along with other members of the brigade created a "kill team" who allegedly killed at least three civilians while on duty. The first of the three was Gul Mudin, who was shot dead after two soldiers threw a grenade at him. The next victim was Marach Agha, who was shot by Gibbs. Gibbs then lay a Kalashnikov next to the body to justify the killing. Finally, Mullah Adadhdad was shot and attacked with a grenade later in the month of May.

The Army Times reports that at least one of the men cut a finger off of each of the victims as souvenirs. Also, it is reported that some of the soldiers posed for pictures with the dead bodies.

Calvin Gibbs, Michael Wagnon, Adam Winfield, Jeremy Morlock, and Andrew Holmes are charged with the muders and face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

The murders came to light after a fellow soldier reported to his superiors that men in his brigade were smoking hashish while on duty. Upon returning to camp one day, the young soldier was confronted by his peers with accusations of being a "snitch" and he was brutally beaten. The soldier then reported the beating to his officers as well as what he knew of the "kill team." The case will be considered by a military grand jury later this month which will decide if there is enough evidence for a court martial.

I believe that this article is an important one to the United States. Although the murders took place in Afghanistan, the murders actually reflect badly on the United States. As a society, we try to convince ourselves, as well as others, that all the money and time spent on the war overseas is worth it because we are over there trying to make a difference and do some good. And then reports like this arise. If we are in Afghanistan trying to help the people, then why are our soldiers killing innocent civilians? Here we are trying to be a role model to other countries and instill our values in other cultures and we are killing their citizens for fun. What does that really say about our values?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/09/us-soldiers-afghan-civilians-fingers