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Subscribe to RSSArmy officials are conducting a criminal investigation into newly revealed photographs showing U.S. troops posing with body parts of dead Afghan suicide bombers. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
Updated at 2 p.m. ET: KABUL: The Los Angeles Times published photos showing U.S. troops posing with the body parts of dead suicide bombers in Afghanistan on Wednesday, prompting condemnations from American officials even before the pictures were posted on the newspaper's website.
A total of 18 pictures showing soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division were taken in 2010 and given to the Times by a soldier who served with the 82nd Airborne's 4th Brigade Combat Team from Ft. Bragg, N.C., the newspaper reported. Only two of the 18 photos appeared on the site.
In an apparent attempt at damage control, the commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan said in a statement -- issued before the photographs and story appeared on the Times' site -- that he condemned the apparent actions of U.S. personnel in the pictures.
Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads
"The commander of the International Security Assistance Force, Gen. John R. Allen, strongly condemns the actions depicted in photos released by LA Times that appear to show U.S. Army personnel posing with the bodies of insurgents who killed themselves in suicide attacks in 2010," NATO said in a statement, according to NBC News.
"The actions of the individuals photographed do not represent the policies of ISAF or the U.S. Army," Allen said.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday also condemned the photos. In addition, he made a point to slam the L.A. Times for publishing them, saying he regrets that they were ever made public.
"This is war and I know that war is ugly and it's violent and I know that young people sometimes caught up in the moment make some very foolish decisions," Panetta said. "I am not excusing that. I am not excusing that behavior but neither do I want these images to bring further injury to our people or to our relationship with the Afghan people." Panetta said.
Pictures taken two years ago showing American soldiers posing with the severed legs of a dead Taliban suicide bomber are being condemned by the Pentagon. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
"We had urged the LA Times not to run those photos. The reason for that is those kinds of photos are used by the enemy to incite violence and lives have been lost as a result of the publications of similar photos in the past. We regret that they were published," Panetta said.
In an earlier statement issued by the Pentagon, Panetta said: "These images by no means represent the values or professionalism of the vast majority of U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan today.
Panetta said an investigation that could lead to disciplinary measures is underway.
The news comes at a time of growing sensitivity over the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan after a series of damaging and embarrassing incidents involving U.S. troops.
Video: Defense chief slams 'deplorable' Marine video
In January, a video surfaced showing U.S. Marines urinating on Taliban corpses and then came widespread uproar in Afghanistan over the burning of copies of the Quran at the main American base in the country.
Then on March 17 people, mostly children and women, were killed in two villages of Kandahar province in an unexplained shooting rampage blamed on a U.S. soldier. At the time, Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for NATO forces to pull out of rural areas and stay in their bases, saying he was at the "end of the rope."
A spike in so-called green-on-blue attacks -- by Afghan army and police on U.S. and other foreign forces -- has stoked concern that some of that anger is spilling over into the security forces and turning them against their Western allies.
The Pentagon said it was investigating Wednesday's incident, which could lead to disciplinary measures.
"Anyone found responsible for this inhuman conduct will be held accountable in accordance with our military justice system,” the statement said.
"The danger is that this material could be used by the enemy to incite violence against U.S. and Afghan service members in Afghanistan. U.S. forces in the country are taking security measures to guard against it," it added.
A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai declined to comment on the report, telling NBC News it would be inappropriate to do so for the time being.
U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker also condemned the actions depicted in photos.
NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report.
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I have a gut feeling that Obama told them to do it and condones this behavior...
I will be worried about what our soldiers do to their dead enemies when our military leaders and our president worry about what happens to them. I don't hear outrage or concerns when any of our troops or allies get killed by "friendly" Afghans that we are trying to train to take care of themselves. I think we should get all of our people out of there and leave those rabid dogs to go at each other - there is no helping people who don't want to be helped.
What a joke. I guess our President will soon be issuing another apology and offering the families of those that want to kill us even more money. And this is much worse than the enemy posing with the head of someone they just beheaded while alive. F them. If our joke of a leader had any balls, he would issue a statement saying, "if you scum bags quit blowing yourselves up while trying to kill innocent people this couldn't happen."
Brew,, agree and of course the media and our leaders have forgotton the muslim scum who danced and laughed at the atrocities and killings of 9-11 and of course saved all the photos of that day that they could. Not to mention the same exuberance they demonstrate at every other cowardly muslim terrorist killing.
And screw the Times (or any paper or media for that matter) for printing those pictures! Sensationalist rag sh*t journalism..
Tracy - The "NY Times" is a TREASONOUS organization which aides our enemies whenever possible, plain and simple.
Weren't they partying in the streets when 911 happened? It is not the prettiest thing but at least the enemy knows we are serious when we SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.
Also, does everyone know that a reliable study has found ONE US SOLDIER COMMITS SUICIDE EVERY 80 MINUTES? WHY THE @!$%# ISN'T THAT IN THE HEADLINES? CHECKBACK TO SEE IF THIS COMMENT IS LISTED LATER. TIME NOW 10:37AM WED APRIL 19TH, 2012
Two things that would have ended this war long ago;
1. Napalm
2. Burial of Taliban in bacon fat
War is ugly, but it is made even uglier by these savages who think nothing of hiding behind women and children, cross dressing etc. We should be as brutal as necessary to win and end the war as soon as possible. I think they call it adapting to one's enemy!
Here goes the lame stream media again sticking their nose's where they don't belong. The media has no business in a war.......none. We need out of that pig stye of a country but the media is making it hard for our troops.
Every been in war, shot at daily and buddies killed? When you get a chance a trophie photo would be a good stress relief...don't judge unless you have been there!!!!!!
So, what's the big deal??...it is just showing that the trooops are doing the job that they were sent over there to do!!! I've seen pics of piles of bodies from the Viet Nam conflict that a freind of mine was responsible for and posing with them!! He did his job!!! Get off their backs and quit trying to make them look bad so you can try to look good in the eyes of that criminal administration we have in Washington!
This is another NON ISSUE.
the world should see war at it's best.it's not play time ,these guys are crazy.stop sending are boys and girls to see this. does everybody think war is fun. grow up this is it , insanity-ptsd-lets blow ourself up,sounds fun to me can you believe it.the whole world should see this.
I applaud these troops for a job well done. This country of ours needs to get away from this political BS, and let our enemies know what they may do to us will come back tenfold. The leadership in this country needs to grow a pair of balls and tell the world that if you mess with us, you will pay the price.
We LOST! Time to CUT AND RUN, again! DEAL with it and get over it. Everybody DID die in vain. But hey its okay not a Harvard or Yale graduate in the lot
Imagine a world where our president and the leftists cared as much about America's soldiers as they do about those who are killing them,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
We can have that world in November 2012 with a simple vote for Mitt Romney.
The choice is simple. Join Obama and the leftist media in embracing the terrorists who want to destroy our nation,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,or join America in defeating them.
First you sat god bless george bush and support the troops and stay the course. NOW you say *** that **** and our"mission lets cut and run as fast as possible. WTF?? SOMEBODY got it wrong, huh
I'm not exactly sure what you "sat" about George Bush.
I had been serving for 18 years when 9/11 happened and served for eight more after that. I did my time and never said, "god bless anything".
Whoever, "got it wrong" in the beginning is not nearly as sorry as the guy who is getting it wrong now.
Whatever failings Bush had,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,he did not support the enemies of our nation and encourage them to fight onward. Obama does just that. Everytime he makes a speech cursing our values, christians, our military and our people. He makes one of those speeches every chance he gets, if you have not heard one it is because you are tone deaf to anything stupid your messiah blathers.
Good luck at the spelling bee.
It's not about the past; it's about what's been going on the past few years. When the enemy knows our President will admonish our troops for doing what they have been trained to do is not only a disgrace, humiliating, embarrassing, and disgusting; it's almost treasonable. He apologizes for everything we do and gives millions to those who hate us.
The ONLY legacy we will leave behind in Afghanistan is thousands of one armed former school girls in Kabul who DARED to diss the Taliban
I forgot to say- Other than the soldier who killed all those 17 (?) people- the fact that taking pictures of dead terrorists/insurgents is the worst thing they can come up with as far as American troops "misbehaving" says a lot about our people over there. I've always said that American troops don't want to serve with some criminal or whacko next to them in a foxhole.
give me a break, this is war, forget all this niceness to these brainwashed religious hogs.
My reaction to this is: So What!
In war, you keep the score in dead bodies. That's just the way it is.
If our, out of touch politicians don't like it, they can end the useless war in Afghanistan. Otherwise, get over it.
I am a retired firefighter and I did take some pictures of fires I was on and the people fighting them. My god, there were burned-up trees and logs! Should I be condemned for that? Today's military obviously need a "Few Good Men" to replace the morons currently occupying upper level positions.
We're worried about photos inciting violence in a country where radicals poisoned the water at an Afghan high school impacting 150 girls?
Support our troops. Bring 'em home now!
No beer, no bible reading, no magazines with any woman showing any skin, no recreation of any kind, lousy food, lousy leadership, lousy military that burns 50% of the mail your family sends you and a simple minded idiot for president who supports your enemy 99% of the time.
Afghanistan is about SEVEN generations from becoming civilized, 99% illiterate, backwards, ignorant and as lazy as humanly possible. Unless we are prepared to spend 300 years teaching these animals to eat with a fork, we are wasting our time.
hmm, sounds fine to me.
Hell we are there because the psycho paths want to take out innocent people while they kill themselves.
I'd take a piss on their bodies too (they were trying to kill our forces anyway), drag me away from my life and family to go out to that sandbox because they want to live in the stone age and bring their crap over here, then we have to tippy toe around, give me a break.
Bring back carpet bombing and get this over with already.
from:msnbc.com
Syria says withdrawing some troops: Annan spokesman
Seeded on Thu Apr 5, 2012 11:08 AM EDT (msnbc.com)
— Filed under: world-news
Discuss this post
THINKINGOUTOFTHEBOXFOROURWORLD
"CHILDREN SEEKING WORLD PEACE" (Short Film Script)
Opening Scene;
We see the Outside of the United Nations Building next we see a man dressed in a suite carrying a brief case walking into the building he approaches the Desk of the Chairman of the United Nations, pulls out a very large manila envelope and hands it to the Chairman. The Chairman opens the envelope, reads the paper work and scratches his head, looks up at the Special Carrier with a bewildered look on his face and says; Wow this is an Extremely Unusual Request and it comes from very unusual sources this is a First for me.
Carrier
What do you mean unusual request, who sent the letter ?
Chairman
Did you notice the Post Marks on this letter ?
Carrier
Yes I did, and it also has so many different kinds of stamps on it from around the World.
I have never seen so many Stamps on one envelope in my life, so who is it from and what are they want ?
Chairman
It appears that they are following up on an idea that originated from a Film Script Writer in America who came up with an Idea of writing a short Film Script he Calls "Children Seeking World Peace" The writer posted it on line and some of the Country Leaders around the World liked the idea so that they implemented it.
Carrier
Implement what ?
Chairman
Every Country in the World picked two Young Students from one of their schools a boy and a girl to represent their Country and are asking for a "SPECIAL UNITED NATION'S MEETING" that will be attended by all of the Leaders in the World but this is the Catch.
The adults are not to speak at this meeting, only the Children will be allowed to speak at this Special meeting called "CHILDREN SEEKING WORLD PEACE"
Carrier
Wow, I see what you mean when you said an unusual request and that is comes from an unusual source you were right about that.
Chairman
There's more this request gets even more stranger they are requesting that we install a large garden area next to the United Nation Building before this meeting takes place that we don't plant anything in the garden area just leave it bare dirt, there are to be small signs placed every two feet next to the rows in this garden area with the names of each Country in the World next to each one of these signs there will also be a watering can containing water.
Carrier
Do you think that the Board will consider this bizarr & unusual request ?
Chairman
Yes I do after all these are the Children of the World, the next Generation seeking the opportunity for them to be part of the Peace Process from their Generation and we should give them the opportunity to do so.
Scene Two;
We see the inside of the United Nations building where many young children are standing paired off one boy and one girl facing all of the Adult Leaders from around the World these Children are from all walks of life all different nationalities and all dressed differently.
Every Girl is holding a small pot containing a different flower in it in one hand and a small shovel in their other hand.
Each Boy is holding a small pot containing a different kind of plant in one hand and a small shovel in his other hand.
(all of these flowers and plants are beautiful and very colorful)
Every Boy & Girl from their Country are wearing Name tags with their Countries names on the tags. The Children are just standing there in silence.
The inside of this building is silent at first then we hear whispers coming from the Adult Leaders, what is this all about, what do they want, this is strange.
Next we see a girl step forward from the row of children following behind her is another girl and a boy they are all three standing there for a minute and the room gets silent.
Then the boy speaks,
I have been chosen to speak on behalf of all of the Children in this room. We are standing here before all of you representing the Worlds Next Generation, Your Worlds Next Generation. We only have a few words to say to all of you here today.
All of us had several things that we wanted to say to all of you today but we all decided that words are not enough without all of Our WORLD LEADERS making a Solid Commitment to end all Wars in Our World Today ! ! !
So, we only have three words to say to all of you here today... " PLEASE JUST STOP"
(one of the girls standing next to this young boy translates this message in all languages)
The three young children stand there for a minute in silence then one of the two girls step forward she says, we only have one more request to ask from all of you in this building today, please follow us to the garden area located just outside this building.
(the other girl translates this request in all languages)
The other children in the building follow the three children exiting the building followed by the Adults.
Third Scene;
We see all of the children lined up still holding their flowers and plants in one hand and their shovels in their other hand they are paired off one boy and one girl standing along side of the garden rows facing their Countries signs that are placed in two foot sections of their Special Garden.
(we see all of the Adult Leaders standing around this garden in groups whispering to each other we can't make out what they are saying to each other but they have a confused look on their faces)
Next the same Girl that spoke earlier in the building is holding a flower in one hand and a small shovel in her other hand says, I would like all of the Adult Leaders from their Countries to stand in front of their Countries signs facing each of us. (translated by the girl standing next to this girl)
The Adult Leaders line up in front of their Countries garden signs facing these children then every child bends down at the same time and digs a small hole in the ground in their two foot section of this Special Garden. (each two foot garden section now has two small holes dug in them and everyone is silent)
Next we see the same girl that spoke earlier stand up after digging her hole in the garden she hands her Adult Counter Part Leader her Potted Flower and says, each one of these Flowers that all of us has brought here today Represent WORLD PEACE for Our Future.
she continues..
All of the Children Around the World requested this SPECIAL UNITED NATIONS MEETING to beg all of the Leaders of Our world to help us Plant our Flowers here today to end all Wars in our World Immediately and all of the Plants that the Boys brought here today represent Commitment To Do So.
(translated again by the girl standing next to her)
Next we see the Boy that spoke earlier at the meeting hand his Adult Counter Part his potted plant then the Girl that is speaking looks over at all of the other Children that are still standing next to their garden and she nodes her head.
Then, All of the Children say the words together, in their own languages in a loud & begging tone."PLEASE JUST STOP"
Next, We see all of the Children reach in their pockets, pull out a small bag and pour out a few of seeds into each of their Adult Counter Parts hands.
The Girl speaker then says,
we are giving all of you our seeds to take home with you so you can plant them in your gardens as a reminder of your Commitment all of you made here today to; END ALL WARS In Our World IMMEDIATELY..THESE SEEDS ALSO REPRESENT FORGIVENESS for without forgiveness there can be no PEACE, so please pass these seeds on to your transgressor so the Peace Process can begin. (translated by the girl standing next to her)
Last Scene
We see all of the Adult Leaders bent down next to the Children planting the Children's Flowers & Plants together in their "Special World Peace Garden" Located in Front Of the "UNITED NATIONS BUILDING"
Fade Out..
Written by, Michael V. Caldwell, Always Striving To Be Part Of The Solution, Using Respect & Common Sense As My Guidelines To Follow At All Times...
Respectfully,Thank all of You, for taking the time to read this IMPORTANT & Very Badly Needed message.
"DREAM BIG DO BIG"
________________________________________________________________________________________
"ROAD TO PEACE" (film short story)
Opening Scene: (filmed in black & white, silent film)
We see an old Soldier walking down a dirt road with a machine gun under his arm
and carrying his young son on his shoulders.
The young boy and his father are dressed in their combat clothing and the boy
also has a machine gun gun tucked under his arm, suddenly they stop.
(our camera pans to a person sitting on a large rock on the side of the road)
We see the back of this person only, the person is wearing a black hooded robe
with their hood raised up.
(we pan back to the old soldier and his son)
The old soldier places his son on the road then pushes him in the direction
of the hooded stranger.
The young boy walks cautiously up to the stranger with his gun drawn
upwards as he gets closer we notice the person is small in stature then the boy
points
the gun at the back of the strangers head.
The stranger turns around slowly then we see it is a young girl, the girl
is the same age as the boy.
The young girl places a daisy in the barrel of the boy's gun.
(at that instant our film changes to color and remains in color)
Next, we see they young boy standing there with a blank look on his face he
then drops the gun on the ground, the gun vanishes and where the gun was we see
three books there instead.
The boy picks up the books curiously, then turns and looks in the direction
where his father was with an astonishment look.
(we show a close-up on boys face then we pan our camera to the father)
The boy's father is now standing there dressed in a white shirt and slacks and
holding sets of plans tucked under his arm in the place of a gun.
(we pan back to boy and girl)
We see the boy standing there dressed in the same attire as his father, with
three books tucked under his arm in place of his gun staring at the girl that
is still sitting on the rock, the girl has long curly brown hair and is now
wearing white clothing, she also has three books sitting next to her.
Closing Scene:
We see the backs of all three of them walking down the road towards the setting
sun, the boy and the girl are holding hands both of them carrying three books
tucked under their arms.
The father has three sets of building plans tucked under his arm and is walking
with his head up high..
Fade Out End...Or Beginning Of A Brighter Badly Needed Future For Our World.
"JUST STOP" ... "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"
"TIME FOR ALL OF MANKIND TO TAKE A STAND TOGETHER, SEEK COMMON GROUND (Our Children's Future Is Common Ground) FORGIVE & PUT OUR PETTY DIFFERENCES ASIDE FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND"
"TIME TO STOP DESTROYING EACH OTHER, TIME TO START BUILDING A BETTER WORLD THAT WE ALL SHARE TOGETHER"
"WE ALL STAND ON TWO LEGS..IT'S TIME TO STAND TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF OF MANKIND"
"MANKIND DOES HAVE A CHOICE"
"TIME TO BUILD A BETTER ROAD FOR OUR FUTURE For..OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE"
"TIME TO BUILD A ROAD TO WORLD PEACE"
JAPAN was once a warrior nation FAR FAR more powerful than any Afghan Warlord ever DREAMED of being. And then something weird happened to change them into the church mice of the world instead. Coulda shoulda got the same results in Afghanistan with a PROPER EFFORT and letting the MILITARY call the damned shots JUST the way FDR let them do in WW2
but NO Truman just HAD to fire Mac Arthur over ego and so now we are STUCK with politicians and bureaucrats calling the shots in war instead and just LOOK at the lousy results: Korea Vietnam Iraq and now Afghanistan - all LOST
Umm... inconveniently for that historical perspective, Japan AND Germany started off before our wars with them a hell of a lot further along than Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iraq did (not really sure about Vietnam). You forget, the Soviets basically unleashed attacks on civilians, even leaving boobytraps for kids, and they still couldn't win in Afghanistan. It's hard to bend an enemy into submission if they don't believe you can do anything worse to them than they're already living in. Short of nuking the entire country, do you think there's much we could do to threaten Afghanistan that would make their lives much worse? Careful hitting that switch, lest China and Russia decide that's the "only way" to deal with us, too.
So?