War Crimes in Afghanistan? 10 Bodies of Abducted Villagers Found Outside U.S. Special

[khushal]

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http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/...stan_10_bodies
War Crimes in Afghanistan? 10 Bodies of Abducted Villagers Found Outside U.S. Special Forces Base

Shortly after the U.S. military was forced to vacate a base in Afghanistan’s Wardak province this spring, the bodies of 10 Afghan villagers were found nearby. All of the people had disappeared after being detained by U.S. Special Forces. The base was used by a unit known as "The A-Team," which has also been linked to eight other murders in Wardak. The mystery behind the deaths is the center of a shocking new exposé which reports the disappearances and killings could amount to some of the gravest war crimes perpetrated by U.S. forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

We are joined by Matthieu Aikins, an award-winning investigative journalist based in Kabul who spent five months investigating the killings for his Rolling Stone article, "The A-Team Killings."


Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.


JUAN GONZÁLEZ: A year ago yesterday, on November 6, 2012, tens of millions of Americans went to the polls to re-elect President Obama. On that same day, thousands of miles away, a 39-year-old Afghan farmer named Mohammad Qasim disappeared after being arrested by U.S. Special Forces. He was never heard from again.

Months later, an Afghan shepherd saw a feral dog digging at human remains now believed to be the farmer’s. His decaying body was found just outside a base used by a team of U.S. Special Forces known as "the A-Team." The body was found just weeks after U.S. Special Forces were compelled by the Afghan government to leave the base amid allegations of torture and murder.

More and more bodies were soon found just outside the base located in Wardak province, west of Kabul. In total, Afghan officials say they have uncovered the bodies of 10 Afghan men, all of whom disappeared after being arrested by U.S. Special Forces. Eight other Afghans were killed by the Special Forces during operations.

AMY GOODMAN: The mystery behind the killings is the center of a shocking new article published by Rolling Stone magazine, which reports the disappearances and killings could amount to some of the gravest war crimes perpetrated by U.S. forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said any U.S. personnel who participated in or were otherwise responsible for the abuses should be criminally prosecuted. So far only one person has been arrested: an Afghan translator who went by the name Zikria Kandahari, who had been working for the American team. He was arrested in July by the Afghan government. Rolling Stone reports the U.S. military opened a criminal investigation into the killings in July; however, none of the witnesses and family members who were interviewed by Rolling Stone in Afghanistan during five months of reporting say they’ve ever been contacted by U.S. military investigators.

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http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanist...estigation-hrw
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asked the U.S. government to investigate the deaths of 18 Afghan civilians who lost their lives amidst unclear circumstances during an American Special Forces operation in Wardak province last year.

An investigative report released by the U.S. magazine Rolling Stone backed in January initially unearthed details and sparked speculation about the incident, which occurred in Nirkh District. The report suggested that the U.S. Special Forces members were directly responsible for the near 20 non-combatant deaths.
The HWR office in Kabul has since mounted criticisms against the U.S. government for not launching a proper investigation.

"We demand a serious investigations into the incident to identify those responsible, and we demand they be prosecuted," said HRW representative Hither Bar.
HWR's outcry comes at a sensitive time for debate surrounding criminal jurisdiction over U.S. troops in Afghanistan. In negotiations surrounding the still pending Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which would detail the nature of a U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan after the NATO combat mission ends in 2014, amongst other things, the issue of criminal jurisdiction has been uniquely contentious.

The U.S. Constitution requires troops stationed abroad to remain under American jurisdiction, and U.S. officials have said if their conditions are not agreed to by the Afghan government then the entire BSA could be in jeopardy. Meanwhile, President Hamid Karzai decided to pass the heated issue over to a Loya Jirga expected to be convened this week, likely determining the fate of the security pact.

HRW in Kabul was critical of the U.S. track record of punishing its troops human rights violations in Afghanistan over the past 12 years.
"Sometimes they conduct the investigations in a good manner and try the criminals, but sometimes, they don't do so and avoid investigations," Bar said.
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was just sentenced to life in prison last month for his now infamous massacre of 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar in March of 2012.
Based on statement of the villagers in the area of the Wardak operation, eighteen innocent civilians and a number of interpreters were killed in a military raid conducted by the U.S. Special Forces. Reportedly the soldiers took 10 others local residents with them back to the base and their bodies were later found outside a base in the area.
After the locals called attention to their claims, President Karzai forced U.S. Special Forces to evacuate the area within two weeks.
In July of this year, an Afghan-American interpreter named Zakaria Kandahari was arrested by National Directorate of Security (NDS) personnel in connection to the unlawful detainment and torturing of the residents supposedly abducted during the Special Forces operation.
Zakaria found with equipment and supplies that suggested he had been aided by U.S. forces when he went into hiding.
HRW's criticisms this week cast light on the U.S. failure to publically investigate the Wardak incident, and in turn, could cast doubt on whether there would be any follow-up in future cases if troops were to remain in Afghanistan post-2014. If that potential doubt is enough to put the BSA at risk, is up to the Jirga.

[Khilji]

thx for the info but the us americans killing for 12 years afghans using the warlords that they installed and their stupid porki allied to kill more than just afghans