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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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Leave a Comment:
$eem$ to me that people who excu$e kid$ for acting like a$$hole$ are a$$hole$ them$elve$
Walk in THEIR shoes instead instead sitting in your big recliner and running to the mailbox to get your check!
YOU, Sir are the azz!
Patty,,,, Enlist & walk in their shoes yourself so you know WTF you are talking about
If you pay attention in basic training they will tell you not to take personal photos of dead enemies because it violates military regulations
Thank you for your service Patty. I'm glad you returned home alive.
THEY did not kill this Moron...........and their "friend-traitor" should not have released these photos to the L.A. Times!
EVERYTHING is on the internet now.......but I could give a dam about this suicide murderer!!!!
So glad you are such an Angel!
Jim-372206 is misinterpreting the regulation. It only applies to Army Personnel, Prisoners of War and anyone under the control of the US Army, i.e dependants.
Hello HALO,,,, The regulation applies to all those serving in Afghanistan including the Navy, Marines & Air Force
Army Regulations do not apply to other branches. Each branch has their own set of regulations. Think before you type dude.
Yes they all have their own set of regulations.... YOU THINK sport
Our military in Afghanistan are under the direct control of the Army,,, They have the same rules & they apply to Marines as well as the Navy
You are right, USA CENTCOM is in charge
You are wrong by saying that all adhere to Army Regulations.
Real world example. A Force Recon Marine negligently crashed to a HUMVEE when at FOB Hunter (CENTCOM) in Afghanistan. The Army had to call the Marine Provost Marshall to investigate the matter so the Marine could be disciplined under Marine Corps Order (MCO) so and so...
You get it now?
I can see you still don't "Get It".... Each service has regulations pertaining to their own duties... Overall the theater is under control of the Army & all services jointly come under their regulations
They are all really similar regulations... The Army deals with the bodies. That does not mean you can disregard Army regulations by taking photos of the dead
You are wrong AGAIN...Overall theatre is under control of NATO-ISAF.
US Forces are under CENTCOM. Each Branch has it's own commander within CENTCOM.
Time to hang it up, you are wrong and you know it. You are simply trying to "save face" and are only digging yourself in deeper.
Time to admit defeat and move on. Your service ended over 20 years ago. A lot has changed since then.
Yeah, when I was in A-school I had a marine instructor that had to have Navy personnel discipline the sailors in the class when they f'd up. You have this way wrong there jimmy.
" given to the Times by a soldier who served with the 82nd Airborne's 4th Brigade Combat Team from Ft. Bragg,"
SHAME on Him!
Suicide Bombers commit Suicide to get those 72 Virgins......WHO cares!
Maybe he should watch the video of Reporter David Pearl Being Beheaded...or 4 Contractors being murdered and hanging from a bridge and their Bodies Burned! Or those animals butchering our precious Navy Seals back in 2005 when we lost 13 Brave Seals?
He should be court marshalled (sp?) for being a traitor and embarassing our troops!!!
No, we are NOT like them, but they find it an HONOR to die and kill innocent people!!!!
@ Patty
Honey, think it through.
When our kids' behavior is disgusting, people hate us (more).
Why the eff are we over there in the first place?
Why should we be there now?
Why should we be there tomorrow?
Who is in charge of this goddamned mess?
*dubina*
"Who is in charge of this goddamned mess?"
CERTAINLY not obama.........he's too busy appearing on talk shows.......singing...playing basketball.......traveling......partying.....etc. etc.
AND CAMPAIGNING...........he will do NOTHING for us the rest of the year and his "followers" will vote for him!
How sad And scary!!!!
bullshirt jim rabbit go screw yourself
Yawn!!
I think this is hilarious. The media sensationalizes how horrible and reprehesible it is that these soldiers are posing with body parts of fanatics that wanted to kill others by blowing themselves and others to pieces, BUT they do not make note of how horrible and reprehensible the actions of the fanatics wanting to MURDER innocent people is.
jim the rabbit or chicken wants one of those 72 old ugly coveredup virgins
So some troops posed for some pics with the remains of COWARDS who tried to kill them. Big friggin deal ! We went to Afghanistan to hunt down and kill Bin Laden. The scum bag is chum now, so we should not even be in Afghanistan. Bring em home. There job is done. We need them on all the USA borders now. Leave out troops alone Washington. They have been through hell while you all sit on your asses raping the world.
When you enlist they teach you the importance of following orders & military regulations
They also teach you what happens when you don't
Our military is not a college frat party when nobody follows the law.... They hold military regulations tight & punish those who are in the wrong
If you don't understand this, then the military is no life for you
Jim-372206 is misinterpreting Army Regulation 638–2. It only applies to Army Personnel, Prisoners of War and anyone under the control of the US Army, i.e dependants.
Army regulations apply to every military serviceman in Afghanistan
Wrong answer HERO!!!
Army Regulation...note the word ARMY.
Halo,,,, Try serving in the military & you will see how each branch come under the same general regulations
Jim can I have some of what your smoking? When I served the only common reg were the UCMJ!
At times in wars, you need to use common sense. I could of took pictures of hundreds of our American soldiers laying uncovered on three flatbeds outside the morgue at Tan Son Knut,Vietnam,being the morgue couldn't keep up. If I took that picture and it got in the wrong hands, it would motivate the enemy. The media haves a responsibility also during wars. This picture on this article shouldn't of ever be shown for the world to see. It falls in common sense during a war.
As a former Marine, I have no problem at all with this. If the bad guy is trying to kill me, and I kill him first, it's celebration time. I get to live, and he goes to hell.
In the mean time you are still held accountable to military regulations & charged under the UCMJ when you take it on your own to violate them
It matters not if you like it ..... It's simply not permitted
Whatever. Tell that to just about any vet who has ever seen real combat...you're clueless if you think this isn't/wasn't the norm.
Jim-372206 is misinterpreting Army Regulation 638–2. It only applies to Army Personnel, Prisoners of War and anyone under the control of the US Army, i.e dependants.
It would be the "norm" if everyone was doing it & it was military policy,,,, but that isn't the case.... These are isolated incidents
Taking pictures after combat is not an isolated incident. It is quite common. You may wish to believe otherwise, but that doesn't change reality.
I read a post saying it's the # of combat tours a soldier is doing for excusing this conduct. Many people serve, many people have their own stories but those same soldiers were intelligent enough not to make idiotic decisions.
JimmyBoy...you are so wrong...Halo read it....I read it....and I am guessing you read selectively to reinforce your own beliefs.
A mind is like a parachute...it works best when it is open.
Wait, I can solve this...let's ask the suicide bombers how they feel about it. If anyone should be pissed about this, then it should be none of you. Until you have been on the working end of an AK-pick a model and other accessories (mostly from china and former soviet states) then SHUT IT!!! Those of you who have never served, then remain honest citizens and carry on with the daily grind of your lives. Those who could not serve, but still support the greatest military ever to cast a shadow on this big rock, I salute you! For my brothers and sisters who stepped out of the doors of whatever vessel took you into the zone, I can speak proudly and say I would do it again, and again, and again! I would never trade any day I wore the cloth of our nation...pictures tell a story, let the story be shared with all. America will take the fight to wherever you need a reminder of those who don't put up with sh*t!!! "DON'T TREAD ON ME!"
So, in 2010 American troops posed with the dead bodies of suicide bombers!! Why are we even talking about this in 2012? This is old news and it has happened and is over with. Remember when American troops were harranged about buring copies of the Koran? What everybody forgot to tell the public was that an Afghanistan representative was there!! I think it is more than the right time to pull our troops out and leave the country of Afghanistan to take care of itself, because they are blaming us for the recent attack on the embassy and other buildings, and that Afghanistan troops were the ones who cleaned out the terrorists!! Oh, I forgot that their troops like to shoot our troops in the name of what ever and we are supposed to turn the other cheek!!
This stuff has been happening since WWll and I know that it happened in Viet Nam when I was there so if the people in charge can't handle it than maybe its time to bring the troops home.
What this shows is a total lack of leadership and disipline within the military, as it is within the Obama Adminstration. There is a total loss of control. Obama has shown that the people he has hired are arrogant and incompetant. They have no respect for their positions or the people they work for. It's more than obvious that they just do not care what employees of the government are doing.
Make up your mind Jim,,, Killing OBL a success or bad leadership? Eliminating a terrorist dictator in Libya without losing one American life, a victory or bad leadership? --- Ending decades of Cold War policies, bad leadership or good leadership?
.... Obama had to deal with the fact that when he got into office the military was still trying to figure out how to fix the grave problems caused by the last administration in Afghanistan that was for years under resourced
Jim
As a Former MarineNCO I totaly aggree.
Not only does a lack of leadership allow things like this to happen it can cause people to get killed or hurt. I saw it too many times.
I am not disagreeing with you Jim-391etc.....but the very same thing can be said by substituting Obama with Bush....we invade the wrong country with a lot less the number of troops that the then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress would be needed at a minimum....they lie to the Sect of State before his appearance before the UN...they out a CIA operative that led to the loss of numerous assets in several countries....Abu Grav fiasco and let's not forget the massive over charging by Haliburton....
The lack of leadership was at the squad level that allowed this to happen in the 1st place..
The President does not baby sit every troop,,, It's just not his job... That is the job of the nco's & officers in the command
JIM...........YOU ARE DISMISSED.
Corn,,,, That's just the way it works in the military. If you have served a week in uniform you would understand that
Jim it seems to me that you served in the old military for starters. Second shut the hell up! You served during peace time, you didn't fight in a war, and like me, you were in the navy, you have no idea what it is to be shot at. You were on a boat surrounded by other boats, and if you were a submariner, you were under water in a silent ship almost impossible to find to shoot a torp at. You are wrong about all branches having to follow regs from the army, and your wrong here too. If you had paid attention in boot camp you would know that you are wrong. Discipline is top down.
And why don't we all stop trying to blame a president for the behavior of the troops. I know his title is commander and chief, but lets face it, the president really has minimal decision making abilities with regard to what the military does. Most of the orders that come "from the top" are from the joint chiefs.
We are no better than our enemy when we behave like monsters. I'm sick of the wars, sick of the violence; and sick of the Republican war mongers. The hypocrisy in their god stance! Elect a Republican in office and you can bet they will start more wars. Wars are their bread and butter. The political platforms changed from decades ago. The NRA, oil, natural resources, and the entire war industry of weaponry is Republican sponsored. That is the reason we fight these wars more than anything. We want to control the resources. War is big money too. WAKE UP AMERICA! This is also the racist, sexist and bigoted party. Fly that flag; but it is idol worship. We are better than this. America is NOT about war too me.
You need to move out of Detroit then Honey! LOL!
leave the country, there are tons of choices......40434433432294 people will gladly take you spot... C ya!
I was just wondering if Roosevelt or Truman ever investigated or apologized to Hitler, Tojo or Mussolini for the actions of our troops in WWII.
That was a Declared war ratified by Congress calling for the unconditional surrender to stop hostilities....a very big difference.
There isn't much difference to the people getting shot at.
You want monsters, then try some hand-to-hand survival tactics. Eyeball juice smells...
A total lack of Control and Total disregard of rules and regulations. You don't have to look very far to see why this is happening. Obama has a disdain for our Constitution and Rule of Law. It's just flowing down hill.
A total lack of control, you try calling out ADDRACs in an Urban CQB sometime. It is the worst after an MRE on a hot afternoon...bleh!
Jim 39,,,, You've been listening to whom,,, Rush Limbaugh?
You have no basis in any facts to even suggest such a ludicrous thing
Hmmm...I am really not terribly surprised by any of this. We saw the same thing in every war we have fought. Once the camera became available 'there it was'. What we have seen coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq is mild compared to what we saw coming out of RVN.. Does that make it right or less disgusting? No. But it does indicate the level of desensitization some of our guys have come to. I totally agree that it is past time to bring them all home.
in the picture the american troops look happy that the bomber kill himself not one of ours i dont see anything wrong with it no criminal iintent no breakdown of supervision just lucky to be alive who knows how close he got give these guys a break big deal over nothing our guys are not holding him up so what.
Those dikheads who say, "What is the big deal?".. Listen up:
What did you think of somalis who dragged US rangers's bodies years ago in Mogadishu?
I thought they were motherfreaking SOB a-holes...
What did you think of iraqis who killed security officers and hang their charred bodies on the bridge?
I thought they were diksucking, motherfreaking, lowlife iraqis...
And your point ?????
-----------------------
Our Troops were allowed by AFGAN OFFICERS to pose for anti-Taliban pixs.
Einstein:
We should not act like the a-holes we criticize....
Let me give you an example so that even you can understand:
If for example somebody rapes your sister, you find the lowlife mfo and cut his head off. You are a man.
You go and rape that person's sister as revenge, you are lowlife, mofo.
This has turned into a political war. The key was revenge for 9-11. Bush Jr. and Cheney told the leader of Afghastan that were the Taiban. You can stay in power if you turned over Bin-Laden and afew AlQueda leaders. In other words, we didn't care if the Taiban was in charge. The Taiban leader said no, and that's what started the Afghastan war.(Getting Bin-Laden and afew AlQueda leaders.) After Bush Jr. and Cheney left office. It fell into the hands of President Obama, that promise he would get Bin-Laden.
Under President Obama's watch. For pocket change, Bin-Laden was killed in Pakistan. AlQueda leaders were droned to death in Pakistan also.
Why we are still in Afghastan today? If it's just to end up with a air base in Afghastan. For god's sake, tell us the truth.
It's called retaliation for being attacked by terrorists.
I could of happened under anyones watch. Obama was in office by circumstance. If the Bush administration never got the ball rolling, OBL would have never been caught.
Photos like this nature are nothing new. Pick a war since the advent of photography and there are photos of smilling troops with dead combatants. There are hundreds of photos of both Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War. There are hundreds of Allied and Axis troops posing with Mustard Gas casualties. There is a picture of soldier crying next to a friend of mine's body (read one of OUR soldiers) during operation Desert Storm that won a Pulitzer Prize.
Is it tasteless? You bet! But this BS of being shocked and all that needs to end. If you don't like the photos, don't look, don't buy the newspaper, and if the LA Times had problems with the photos they should never have accepted or published them.
You dont see much of an uprising when you watch the Military Channel and the WWII footage of dead and people blown in half and a soldier messing with the body. So what! After awhile when in battle its nothing.
the liberal media should be ashamed.i'd love to see one of their pussy ass journalists fight for our country then see how they feel about the enemy.bet they'd change their liberal tune.leave our troops alone msnbc. the more bs you a-holes report about real war real men and women fight, the more endangered our fighting forces are.you a-holes at msnbc know nothing about war but reporting it behind a computer in this country...in safety provided by the soldiers you rip on.