'He shot me right here': Afghans testify in case of US soldier accused of massacre

Handout / Reuters

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is seen during an exercise at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, in this Aug. 23, 2011, handout photo.

TACOMA, Washington - An Afghan villager and two of his sons, who survived a night-time shooting rampage in March, testified on Saturday that they saw only one U.S. soldier attacking their compound, backing the U.S. government's account.

A teenager said he had cried out "We are children, we are children" during the attack, but then saw the soldier shoot a child.

Military prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accusing him of killing 16 villagers, mostly women and children, when he ventured out of his remote camp on two revenge-fueled forays over a five-hour period in March.

The shootings in Afghanistan's Kandahar province marked the worst case of civilian slaughter blamed on an individual U.S. soldier since the Vietnam War and damaged already strained U.S.-Afghan relations.

The U.S. government says a coherent and lucid Bales acted alone and with "chilling premeditation."

Some villagers told reporters shortly after the attacks that more than one U.S. soldier was involved, but sworn statements to that effect have not been made publicly.

Witness: Sgt. Bales, accused of Afghan massacre, was deemed a top soldier

Karilyn Bales, the wife of Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, spoke exclusively with NBC's Matt Lauer, telling the TODAY anchor that the news about her husband is 'very unbelievable.'

Early Saturday, three survivors answered questions via video-link from Kandahar Air Field to a hearing at a U.S. Army base in Washington state - the first time Afghan witnesses have testified under oath about what transpired on March 11.

"He shot me right here," said Haji Mohamed Naim, the father of nine sons in the village of Alkozai, the scene of the first shootings.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said all he could see was a strong light on the head of a soldier who was not more than half a yard away from him when he started shooting.

Naim said he was awoken in the night by sounds of shots and dogs barking, and then children from the next door house knocked on his door. He then described how an "American" jumped from a wall before confronting him and starting to shoot.

Afghanistan shooting suspect Robert Bales faced financial troubles, records show

Two of Naim's sons, who were also in the compound, said they saw only one U.S. soldier on the night in question.

"Yes, I saw him, he came after me, I went to another room," said Naim's son Sadiquallah, who said he was 13 or 14 years old. He described how he hid behind a curtain in a storage room with one other child, and was hit in the ear with a bullet, but did not see who fired the shot.

"How many Americans did you see?" one of the prosecution attorneys asked Sadiquallah. "One," he replied.

'I saw the American'
His older brother Quadratullah, who said he was 14, was unscathed in the attack, but said he saw a U.S. soldier shooting other children.

"Yes I saw the American," he answered a government attorney. "I said 'We are children, we are children', and he shot one of the kids," Quadratullah said, through an interpreter.

"We saw only one American," he added.

At a courtroom at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Bales sat impassively throughout the proceedings, watching the witnesses on a TV screen in front of him.

The Afghan villagers testified on the fifth day of a hearing to establish whether there is enough evidence to put Bales before a court martial.

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com 

A veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bales faces 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder, as well as charges of assault and wrongfully possessing and using steroids and alcohol while deployed.

Prosecutors have presented physical evidence to tie Bales to the crime scene, with a forensic investigator saying a sample of blood on Bales' clothes matched a swab taken in one of the compounds where the shooting occurred.

Bales' lawyers have not set out an alternative theory, but have pointed up inconsistencies in testimony and highlighted incidents before the shooting where Bales lost his temper easily or appeared unbalanced, possibly setting up an argument that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Gathering evidence and witness statements was complicated by the speedy burial of victims, the inability of U.S. investigators to access the crime scenes for three weeks after the violence for fears of revenge attacks, and the dispersal of possible witnesses after treatment at a Kandahar hospital.

Bales' lead civil defense attorney John Henry Browne, who is in Kandahar to question the witnesses, complained early in the investigation that his team was denied access to villagers wounded in the attacks.

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Just a comment......what is the political association of the witnesses, after all they are all Afghans, and we all know that the Afghans do not let women and children participate in the shooting, bombing, or setting up ambushes, over there! {:-(}

  • 1 vote
Reply#28 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:27 AM EST

I'm sure that Bales' lawyers will have the opportunity to question the witnesses when this comes to trial. However, given that they appear to be acknowledging that he got drunk, snuck off the base, and killed unarmed kids in the middle of the night, the political affiliations of the victims wouldn't appear to be particularly relevant.

    #28.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:22 PM EST
    Reply

    war is hell, war brings the very worst out of us. im sure in a normal civilian atmosphere this man would never commit these acts. before you judge, try as much you can to put yourself in his shoes. by no means was this right but the circumstances of war definitely is a factor .

    • 1 vote
    Reply#29 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:56 AM EST

    After he finished with the ragheads, they should have given him a medal and sent him to clean out the White House.

    • 2 votes
    Reply#30 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:20 PM EST

    You sound just like the radical Islamic terrorists. You should move out of this country and go join them.

    • 2 votes
    #30.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:35 PM EST

    That's not nice.

    Knock-knock---------Yes----------Is TJP home, we're Home Land Security?

      #30.2 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:26 PM EST

      Chest-thumping war mongers who have the intellectual capacity to collectively condemn foreign citizens based on the actions of a few should take to heart the 15 y.o. Pakistani girl Malala who was brutally shot by the Taliban for trying to get an education in her own country.

      The ''higher-ups'' in the former Bush White House were NEVER held accountable in the Pat Tillman ''cover-up,'' who was initially reported to have fallen in battle until the truth was learned about his death.

      • 1 vote
      #30.3 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:42 PM EST
      Reply

      The very first post on this article is spot on. This man is a deranged psychopath and deserves whatever justice the military metes out to him.

      • 1 vote
      Reply#31 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:51 PM EST

      I was in Afghanistan doing Anthropology, trust me when I say you can only believe about half of what comes out of an Afghan's mouth. There are times I understand why our military does what they do, sometimes I agree, and sometimes I don't. But the other side of the story never seems to get told in our media, probably because it isn't sensational enough...sad really.

      • 2 votes
      Reply#32 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:00 PM EST

      Well should I trust you, some guy who claims to have been "doing Anthropology" in Afghanistan, whatever the heck that means, or multiple statements corroborated by other evidence including video tapes and statements by Bales' colleagues?

        #32.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:11 AM EST
        Reply

        I really hate that coward.

        • 1 vote
        Reply#33 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:09 PM EST

        I think we should try to make up for this tragedy by getting our soldiers out of that hellhole and never looking back. Maybe in a few thousand years when Afghanistan has had a chance to catch up to the rest of the world...

        • 1 vote
        Reply#34 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:26 PM EST

        More deaths from a broken Obama promise to get us out of Afghanistan. You war democrats are as bad as the previous administration.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#35 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:27 PM EST

        Remind me again the verdict in the Fort Hood shootings? Oh! That's right, three years later, there's been no trial. Now, the families are suing the government. BOTH of these were acts of terror! Unfortunately, with this administration it's only terrorism when an American pulls the trigger. Fort Hood was a Islamist extremist who killed Americans. Benghazi was the same. Yet, you libs sit in silence, but want to hang an American soldier for the same? Don't get me wrong, he should be punished. However, will this be classified as "workplace violence?" It is sad that common sense is dead in this country, that people can't tell the difference between right and wrong.

        • 3 votes
        Reply#36 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:29 PM EST

        Excuse me, but that was a Army Major Fort Hood. A Career Soldier.

        Get Benghazi out of your system. It's above your head. Reseach it and find out something for yourself. I'd start with the Senate Security that assigns security to these situations and ask them why the delay in the request. I know the answer but you don't. That Security is controlled by the Senate Republicans, for now. You don't even remember the Ambassadors name it's Stevens.Troll.

        I've spent a lot of time in the military and on base is one place where we felt secure now that is changing, so Troll why don't you tell me why the younger generations are screwed in the head. Answer this question and you will have solved a lot of senseless killings going on. I'm not talking about Military or Combat, I'm talking Civilian also.

          #36.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:50 PM EST
          Reply

          It's really hard to defend this man. This was notlike he was out on patrol in the field and they had just finished were in the middle of a firefight and adrenaline was up. He alledgly left the safety of his base alone and just shot those people up.Not to mention if he really was using steroids and possibly drinking that night. Steroids have a tendancy to bring out aggressive anger.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#37 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:33 PM EST

          The entire situation is sad, for all parties involved. Sad for the victims that were killed or injured, but also sad for the soldier. Before anybody gets upset with me, I do not condone what he did and I do not believe that he should "get off lightly". Four tours? Why was he sent back to a war zone so many times? I myself have a brother that has been through two tours and while he talks about some of it, there is a lot he won't speak about. Steroids? Where is the regulation for that?! Steroids, stress, guns and no regulation are a bad combination.

          • 2 votes
          Reply#38 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:40 PM EST

          "The sworn statements that there was more than one have not been made public". Gee I wonder why.

          Another cover up just like in Vietnam so that this president can push the truth under the rug and get on with business of killing our sons and daughters for the people who hate us and will turn and kill us in a heart beat.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#40 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:18 PM EST

          When he is found guilty by the U.S. military court he should be turned ovr to the residents of the Afghan villages he attacked. Forget this bag of s**t. This disgrace to the human race. He was a thief and a liar before he signed up for the U.S. Army. Now it's time grind him into the dirt and not look back.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#41 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:24 PM EST

          This man is no different than the Colorado movie theater shooter or the Virginia Tech shooter. Why are people treating him as such. As Americans, we value the people killed less because they are in Afghanistan? They were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. Sure there are a lot of bad people there but this guy went rogue and killed without cause, period. I will wait to see what evidence comes out in trial but I don't think we'll ever get the whole story because I am sure there were signs of a problem with this guy but if they went unreported or not acted upon, we look bad. Lets remember that life is life and this man, whether crazy or not killed a lot of people for no reason.

          • 2 votes
          Reply#42 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:39 PM EST

          Because too many americans view foreigners as second class people.

          • 1 vote
          #42.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 6:40 PM EST
          Reply

          We train them to kill or be killed most of them just kids trained to kill, It's was war feel bad for the kids but they come here you think they will care if they kill our kids think again. Our
          Gov. Is killing us right here in the U.S. Everyday kids included as well as our
          senior citizens nobody gives a dam about that.

            Reply#43 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:48 PM EST

            Travis from Soviet Occupied New England I'm not a soldier but I do know there are rules of engagement and killing innocents including chiuldren while drunk is not an acceptable part of those rules.

            In WWII and WWI, and I know because I have known some oldm timers that had engaged in those when young men, the armed forces had a problem with soldiers not wanting to shoot even the enemy. It was such an offence in their upbringning (When Christian values were more widespread and an acceptable part of the culture).

            The shooting rate of soldiers was just 15%. It is my understanding video games with killing skills were first invented for the purpose of breaking down that psychological barrier to shooting people.

            Well, surprise, surprise in our culture now that has the killing videos so widespread, our young people have been thoroughly purged of those rules of common decency.

            Then there are the movies that value killing and destroying. Congratulations, we have rerouted the culture to the new Sparta.

              Reply#44 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:50 PM EST

              critical times hard to deal with, will be here.

                Reply#45 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:51 PM EST

                Does the military accept any blame for sending this soldier on 4 tours? Did the pressure get to him?

                • 1 vote
                Reply#46 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:12 PM EST

                His wife is obviously oblivious to what 'war' is all about ... the attitude of the poster Johnny Blackwelder, shows perfectly how brain washed people can become... its a sick mentality.

                All killing takes a controlled, brainwashed mindset to NOT CARE what you are doing. During the Viet Namese war it was let out that helicopters would fly over our tired out soldiers and sprayed them with a drug to make them crazy again to WANT TO continue killing, killing, killing...

                Until everyone is willing to lay down their guns and refuse to go to foreign lands and KILL perfect strangers... it will never end....,However, there are many who are still ignorant of any kind of evolved thinking...which is very sad.

                  Reply#47 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:13 PM EST

                  I remember about six months ago, this high ranking military guy. Stated, it's best our soldiers that comes home with mental problem from war. Will be better off coming back to the war zone where they can adapt. Maybe he should re-consider his remark.

                    Reply#48 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:35 PM EST

                    There is a Sgt Bales defense fund which you can donate to , if you want to help him receive a fair trial. They do not accept donations from people who support or condone killing. If you do a little research, you will find the address easily enough. Keep in mind, he was a trained soldier sent ito a region where people are trying to kill him constantly and he is not allowed to fight back. He is one of our soldiers and as an American, is entitled to a fair trial...even if the media has already declared him guilty.

                      Reply#49 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:48 PM EST

                      He has representation. Don't send money anywhere.

                        #49.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:06 PM EST
                        Reply

                        This ''HERO'' was ''yearning'' for action as stated by fellow soldiers which resulted in a nocturnal slaughter of defenseless women and children in their own homes while sleeping. In the minds of many, children who were not yet born are somehow responsible for the events of 9/11 so sayeth the defenders of this ''loving father of 2.'' Let's not forget the decorated Marine sharpshooter Charles Whitman a.k.a.'' Texas Tower Sniper,'' who killed and wounded scores of students and pedestrians inc. his own mother and wife. But, his victims were ALL Americans going about their daily business. PTSD perhaps? At the very least, a DISHONORABLE discharge would be appropriate for this ''hero'' much like the deranged PFC Steven Green of Iraq ''fame.''

                        • 3 votes
                        Reply#50 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:52 PM EST

                        Sometimes people just snap from the pressure. It's a shame he killed innocent children.

                          Reply#51 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:10 PM EST
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                          Coal company to lay off 156 workers in Utah, Ill.

                          November 9, 2012 4:25 PM ET

                          By JIM SUHR

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                          ST. LOUIS (AP) - A coal producer owned by a longtime critic of President Barack Obama's energy policies will lay off nearly 160 workers at Illinois and Utah mines, blaming the freshly re-elected president for a "war on coal."

                          Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp. said in a statement supplied Friday to The Associated Press that it would give pink slips to 102 workers at its West Ridge Mine in Utah and 54 at its underground mine in the southern Illinois town of Galatia. Both mines are run by Murray Energy subsidiaries.

                          Murray did not specify when layoffs will take place or the total number of workers at each affected site. The company refused an email interview request, saying only that "unfortunately, we will be forced to make even more layoffs, none of which we want."

                          The announcement's timing — just days after Obama's victory over Republican Mitt Romney — was anything but coincidental. Robert Murray, the company's chairman, CEO and founder, had backed Romney, who proposed rolling back some restrictions on power-plant emissions and positioned himself as a supporter of the coal industry.

                          "The American people have made their choice," Murray, a day after the election, told about 50 employees during a prayer, a text of which was provided to the AP by the company. Lamenting the country's direction and insisting "the takers outvoted the producers," Murray asked for God's forgiveness "for the decisions that we are now forced to make to preserve the very existence of any of the enterprises that you have helped us build."

                          Murray's statement Friday, which insisted that the coal industry "is being destroyed," said U.S. coal production this year could plunge by hundreds of millions of tons, and that the Obama administration's energy policies will lead to the closure of scores of U.S. coal-fired power plants by 2014.

                          The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tighter limits on mercury, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that would make it more expensive for utilities to burn coal, a major source of those emissions. The EPA has also proposed limiting the amount of carbon dioxide that new power plants can emit.

                          Neither would specifically bar coal-fired power plants, but experts say it would be nearly impossible to build an affordable new coal plant that could meet the limits. The proposals, some which had begun under George W. Bush's administration, wouldn't affect coal plants now in use or being built.

                          Obama, who during his 2008 campaign said builders of new coal-powered plants will go bankrupt from emissions standards he would enact, now espouses an "all of the above" energy strategy that includes coal.

                          "The president has made clear that coal has an important role to play in our energy economy today and it will in the future, which is why this administration has worked to make sure that moving forward we can continue to rely on a broad range of domestic energy sources from oil and gas, to wind and solar, to nuclear, as well as clean coal," Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, said recently.

                          What's happening in the coal industry is more than a seasonal slump or a response to new regulations; even coal executives admit it's a fundamental shift. Many utilities have switched from coal to cheaper natural gas for electricity generation, pushing up coal stockpiles at power plants and forcing mining companies to sharply cut production.

                          When St. Louis-based Patriot Coal filed for bankruptcy in July, it didn't mention a war on coal but cited "a major correction" in the industry and "new realities in the market," including fierce, sustainable competition of natural gas. But St. Louis-based Arch Coal Inc. blamed market pressures and a challenging regulatory backdrop in its June announcement it would lay off about 750 Appalachian coal workers.

                          A recent rebound in natural gas prices has buoyed hopes among coal producers that power plants increasingly will shift back to coal, though they say pressure on the industry could persist well into next year.

                          Murray Energy was the parent company of a Utah coal mine that collapsed in 2007, killing six miners and three members of a rescue team. Earlier this year, Murray Energy affiliates paid nearly $1 million in safety fines for the disaster and settled a criminal case for $500,000.

                          Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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                            Reply#52 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:14 PM EST
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                            Coal company to lay off 156 workers in Utah, Ill.

                            November 9, 2012 4:25 PM ET

                            By JIM SUHR

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                            ST. LOUIS (AP) - A coal producer owned by a longtime critic of President Barack Obama's energy policies will lay off nearly 160 workers at Illinois and Utah mines, blaming the freshly re-elected president for a "war on coal."

                            Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp. said in a statement supplied Friday to The Associated Press that it would give pink slips to 102 workers at its West Ridge Mine in Utah and 54 at its underground mine in the southern Illinois town of Galatia. Both mines are run by Murray Energy subsidiaries.

                            Murray did not specify when layoffs will take place or the total number of workers at each affected site. The company refused an email interview request, saying only that "unfortunately, we will be forced to make even more layoffs, none of which we want."

                            The announcement's timing — just days after Obama's victory over Republican Mitt Romney — was anything but coincidental. Robert Murray, the company's chairman, CEO and founder, had backed Romney, who proposed rolling back some restrictions on power-plant emissions and positioned himself as a supporter of the coal industry.

                            "The American people have made their choice," Murray, a day after the election, told about 50 employees during a prayer, a text of which was provided to the AP by the company. Lamenting the country's direction and insisting "the takers outvoted the producers," Murray asked for God's forgiveness "for the decisions that we are now forced to make to preserve the very existence of any of the enterprises that you have helped us build."

                            Murray's statement Friday, which insisted that the coal industry "is being destroyed," said U.S. coal production this year could plunge by hundreds of millions of tons, and that the Obama administration's energy policies will lead to the closure of scores of U.S. coal-fired power plants by 2014.

                            The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tighter limits on mercury, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that would make it more expensive for utilities to burn coal, a major source of those emissions. The EPA has also proposed limiting the amount of carbon dioxide that new power plants can emit.

                            Neither would specifically bar coal-fired power plants, but experts say it would be nearly impossible to build an affordable new coal plant that could meet the limits. The proposals, some which had begun under George W. Bush's administration, wouldn't affect coal plants now in use or being built.

                            Obama, who during his 2008 campaign said builders of new coal-powered plants will go bankrupt from emissions standards he would enact, now espouses an "all of the above" energy strategy that includes coal.

                            "The president has made clear that coal has an important role to play in our energy economy today and it will in the future, which is why this administration has worked to make sure that moving forward we can continue to rely on a broad range of domestic energy sources from oil and gas, to wind and solar, to nuclear, as well as clean coal," Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, said recently.

                            What's happening in the coal industry is more than a seasonal slump or a response to new regulations; even coal executives admit it's a fundamental shift. Many utilities have switched from coal to cheaper natural gas for electricity generation, pushing up coal stockpiles at power plants and forcing mining companies to sharply cut production.

                            When St. Louis-based Patriot Coal filed for bankruptcy in July, it didn't mention a war on coal but cited "a major correction" in the industry and "new realities in the market," including fierce, sustainable competition of natural gas. But St. Louis-based Arch Coal Inc. blamed market pressures and a challenging regulatory backdrop in its June announcement it would lay off about 750 Appalachian coal workers.

                            A recent rebound in natural gas prices has buoyed hopes among coal producers that power plants increasingly will shift back to coal, though they say pressure on the industry could persist well into next year.

                            Murray Energy was the parent company of a Utah coal mine that collapsed in 2007, killing six miners and three members of a rescue team. Earlier this year, Murray Energy affiliates paid nearly $1 million in safety fines for the disaster and settled a criminal case for $500,000.

                            Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

                            ACI

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