Saturday
Mar132010
UPDATED Afghanistan: The Execution of the Handcuffed?
Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 23:59 
UPDATE 14 MARCH: A statement from the International Security Assistance Force has rejected Starkey's latest report as "categorically false". Later it attributes the claims of bound and killed civilians were due to "confusion" from "initial operational reports".UPDATE 13 MARCH: Jerome Starkey, the reporter who broke the story of the handcuffed and executed civilians, makes another claim today: "A night raid carried out by US and Afghan gunmen led to the deaths of two pregnant women, a teenage girl and two local officials in an atrocity which Nato then tried to cover up, survivors have told The Times."
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Dave Lindorff writes for Counterpunch:
When Charlie Company’s Lt. William Calley ordered and encouraged his men to rape, maim and slaughter over 400 men, women and children in My Lai in Vietnam back in 1968, there were at least four Americans who tried to stop him or bring him and higher officers to justice. One was helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson Jr., who evacuated some of the wounded victims, and who set his chopper down between a group of Vietnamese and Calley’s men, ordering his door gunner to open fire on the US soldiers if they shot any more people. One was Ron Ridenhour, a soldier who learned of the massacre, and began a private investigation, ultimately reporting the crime to the Pentagon and Congress. One was Michael Bernhardt, a soldier in Charlie Company who witnessed the whole thing, and reported it all to Ridenhour. And one was journalist Seymour Hersh, who broke the story in the US media.
Afghanistan: Getting the Real Point Of The Marja “Offensive”
Today’s war in Afghanistan also has its My Lai massacres.
It has them almost weekly, as US warplanes bomb wedding parties, or homes “suspected” of housing terrorists that turn out to house nothing but civilians. But these My Lais are all conveniently labeled accidents. They get filed away and forgotten as the inevitable “collateral damage” of war. There was, however, a massacre recently that was not a mistake--a massacre which, while it only involved fewer than a dozen people, bears the same stench as My Lai. It was the execution-style slaying of eight handcuffed students, aged 11-18, and a 12-year-old neighboring shepherd boy who had been visiting the others, in Kunar Province, on 26 December.
Sadly, no principled soldier with a conscience like pilot Hugh Thompson tried to save these children. No observer had the guts of a Michael Brernhardt to report what he had seen. No Ron Ridenhour among the other serving US troops in Afghanistan has investigated this atrocity or reported it to Congress. And no American reporter has investigated this war crime the way Seymour Hersh investigated My Lai.
There is a Seymour Hersh for the Kunar massacre, but he’s a Brit. While American reporters like the anonymous journalistic drones who wrote CNN’s 29 December report on the incident, took the Pentagon’s initial cover story--that the dead were part of a secret bomb-squad--at face value, Jerome Starkey, a reporter in Afghanistan working for The Times of London and The Scotsman, talked to other sources --- the dead boys’ headmaster, other townspeople, and Afghan government officials --- and found out the real truth about a gruesome war crime--the execution of handcuffed children.
And while a few news outlets in the US like The New York Times did mention that there were some claims that the dead were children, not bomb-makers, none, including CNN, which had bought and run the Pentagon’s lies unquestioningly, bothered to print the news update when, on 24 February, the US military admitted that in fact the dead were innocent students. Nor has any US corporate news organization mentioned that the dead had been handcuffed when they were shot.
Starkey reported the US government’s damning admission. Yet still the US media remain silent as the grave.
Under the Geneva Conventions, it is a war crime to execute a captive. Yet in Kunar on December 26, US-led forces, or perhaps US soldiers or contract mercenaries, cold-bloodedly executed eight hand-cuffed prisoners. It is a war crime to kill children under the age of 15, yet in this incident a boy of 11 and a boy of 12 were handcuffed as captured combatants and executed. Two others of the dead were 12 and a third was 15.
I called the Secretary of Defense’s office to ask if any investigation was underway into this crime or if one was planned, and was told I had to send a written request, which I did. To date, I have heard nothing. The Pentagon PR machine pretended to me on the phone that they didn't even know what incident I was talking about, but without their "help" I have learned that what the US military has done--no surprise--is to pass the buck by leaving any investigation to the International Security Assistance Force--a fancy name for the US-led NATO force fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. It’s a clever ruse. The ISAF is no more a genuine coalition entity than was George Bush's Iraq War Coalition of the Willing, but this dodge makes legislative investigation of the event impossible, since Congress has no authority to compel testimony from NATO or the ISAF as it would the Pentagon. A source at the Senate Armed Services Committee confirms that the ISAF is investigating, and that the committee has asked for a “briefing”--that means nothing would be under oath--once that investigation is complete, but don’t hold your breath or expect anything dramatic.
I also contacted the press office of the House Armed Services Committee to see if any hearings into this crime have been planned. The answer is no, though the press officer asked me to send her details of the incident (Not a good sign that House members and staff are paying much attention--the killings led to country-wide student demonstrations in Afghanistan, to a formal protest by the office of President Hamid Karzai, and to an investigation by the Afghan government, which concluded that innocent students had been handcuffed and executed, and no doubt contributed to a call by the Afghan government for prosecution and execution of American soldiers who kill Afghan civilians.)
There is still time for people of conscience to stand up in the midst of this imperial adventure that may now appropriately be called Obama’s War in Afghanistan. Plenty of men and women in uniform in Afghanistan know that nine Afghan children were captured and murdered at America’s hands last December in Kunar. There are also probably people who were involved in the planning or carrying out of this criminal operation who are sickened by what happened. But these people are so far holding their tongues, whether out of fear, or out of simply not knowing where to turn (Note: If you have information you may contact me). There are also plenty of reporters in Afghanistan and in Washington who could be investigating this story. They are not. Don’t ask me why. Maybe ask their editors.
Reader Comments (30)
Scott Lucas
I am wondering why you post this??
It is written by a "journalist??" - who we are told writes for a website called "This can't be happening .net ". It appears to be published by some website called "Counterpunch.org"
I am totally unable to corroborate or even guess at the accuracy of the claims within this so called "article". Perhaps they are true - perhaps they are not??
It leaves me wondering about the self hatred that I see within the US.
Scott - do you hate your country, your Government, yourself?? Just wondering??
One thing is for sure - there are plenty of people in the world who hate the US - for whatever their reasons. Publishing unsubstantiated stuff like this sure encourages their hate.
Of course, it can be argued that everything is open for discussion. I can appreciate and understand that argument. But it does come from a sector that one day may wake up and realize that they have done themselves a great disservice and great damage.
We shall see what the future holds - but I have to admit that I fear that the self loathing that I see coming out of the US could possibly presage the downfall of the US. All "empires" eventually fall - for different reasons. I am not sure that I know of one that has fallen because of "self-hatred" - but there can always be a first.
So - I ask you - why have you posted this CRAP???
Barry
Barry,
It is always my belief to deal with the message, rather than the messenger. As far as I know, the reporting by Jerome Starkey which is the basis for this piece 1) has not been picked up by any other outlet; 2) establishes that the killing of handcuffed civilians took place.
I don't think that is equivalent to the My Lai Massacre, as this author does. I do think it is an occurrence which deserves attention alongside the many stories we have of the US-led offensive in Helmand Province.
S.
First link in above post (From The Times, December 31, 2009) is:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article6971638.ece
Partly as a result of the angry protests sparked by this tragic mistake in Kunar, General Stanley McChrystal has issued new rules to limit the use of controversial night raids.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/General-limits-night-raids-after.6129371.jp
@Catherine
Thanks for the links
Did you find much regarding this statement from the article posted by Scott?
"Under the Geneva Conventions, it is a war crime to execute a captive. Yet in Kunar on December 26, US-led forces, or perhaps US soldiers or contract mercenaries, cold-bloodedly executed eight hand-cuffed prisoners. It is a war crime to kill children under the age of 15, yet in this incident a boy of 11 and a boy of 12 were handcuffed as captured combatants and executed. Two others of the dead were 12 and a third was 15."
Barry
Hi Barry,
I don't understand your question. Everthing Starkey reported on the incident is in the articles I linked to.
@Catherine
I have read your articles - and "EVERYTHING" is NOT disclosed regarding this "allegation".
But I might be wrong in my cynical attitude to news reporting in general - and this matter in particular.
I have to admit that I find it difficult to believe that a team of US Special Forces would risk their lives by arriving by night from the air into a village, to handcuff a group of schoolboys before slaughtering them ( even if a case of mistaken identity/intelligence ). Well - if nothing more, I find it difficult enough to believe to NOT continue spreading the allegation further without some more serious proof of it.
But - I guess, for some , never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Barry
Barry,
Hey, believe whatevcer you want to believe but please don't scream at *me* with capital letters, ok? I posted lnks to Mr Starkey's articles (not mine) because there seemed to be some doubts in your post about whether the author of the original reports was a real journalist, and in Scott's post about whether Starkey's reports had been picked up by any other outlet than Counterpunch. Period.
Hey Barry, don't worry i'm sure the US won't fall because of the self-hatred, although it should.
Barry,
Your double standards are interesting. You are willing to believe and condemn any real or imagined "outrage" by the IRI which instantly leads to a comparison with your ever present Nazi Germany. You resort to the this comparison so frequently that one wonders whether Hermann Goering is your neighbor.
With regards to America however any revelation of mass murder or torture is attributed to American "self hatred" and immediately suspect. One can imagine that if you were an American you would think of Obama as one such example of self hatred.
You also seem to believe that religion (especially mixed with politics) is an unmitigated evil but curiously you seem strongly supportive of Israel, a state whose very creation is based on the religious assumption that a particular land was promised to a particular people in perpetuity.
As you may know the early Zionist movement considered Africa and South America as the situs for an Israeli state but these options were quickly abandoned due to the religious connection to "Zion".
It seems that consistency is not a matter of great concern here.
I used to come to this site everyday for what I thought was unbiased and legitimate reporting.
This story is blatantly biased and filled with a bunch of 'allegations'.
I really have tried to support the green movement because I truly believe in your cause.
Good luck in your cause, I will look elsewhere for the reporting however.
You lost me.
Good luck with all that 'Death to America' bullshit.
Ken,
I appreciate your sentiments, especially over the Iran issue. However, it is also my belief that issues which we may not like also have to be raised --- Jerome Starkey's account of the killing of civilians needs to be confronted, just as allegations of the killing of civilians in other wars by any army --- where "ours" or "theirs" --- have to be considered. Reporting cannot simply consist of cheerleading and publishing stories of success.
S.
@SAMUEL
Firstly - "allegations" are not "revelations".
Secondly - I am sure that we all appear to others at times to have "double standards" on some matters. In regards to your perception of my "double standards" - I readily understand that neither Iran, US or Israel (or any other country/group for that matter) are perfect, and all make mistakes or even do bad things intentionally. But, in an overall balance, I am more prepared to put faith (not religious faith - but faith of conscience) in the doings of the US, other Western powers and Israel - than I am in that of Iran, Hamas , Hizbollah, Taliban, Al Qaeda. That said however - allegations from anywhere about anything are just that - only allegations. Some allegations however have a certain smell of possible truth about them , while others don't. I am certain that your sense of smell is distinctly different to mine.
Thirdly - re the State of Israel, Jews and my atheism. I am supportive of the creation and continuance of the State of Israel. I guess you could possibly even call me a Zionist" (although you use that would with contempt, others are proud of the concept). You might think that there is some kind of dichotomy in my stance, but it sits easily on my conscience.
Fourthly - I know that my comparison of the current Iranian Regime with German Nazism is galling to you - but I cannot eliminate from my mind the similarity of the two. I only wish that the similarity would go away.
Barry
Barry,
You ignored my point as to how an atheist can be so supportive of a state whose very creation is based on religion (Irael/Zionism).
If you were really pro-secular you would be singing the praises of Syria, perhaps the most secular state in the region whose leadership is arguably (some would say) not even Muslim but Alawite with a large, respected and thriving Christian community.
Your point of view is mostly driven by your concern for your own (e.g. "Western Powers" to use your words and their spoiled stepchild Israel) and against those who are alien to that Western world, including the IRI. I'm glad that you are admitting this as opposed to mouthing some abstract or non-existent principles
There is nothing wrong about this point of view of course. I've heard it expressed often in my travels through Europe by members of the Front National or Vlams Blok and others such groups.
I'm sure that in Australia you were a strong supporter of the Pauline Hanson movement.
@Samuel
You may consider this to be a moot point - but Israel was not based upon a religion(Judaism) - but rather was based on being a member of a particular race of people (Jews). Apparently there is a difference - as told by Jewish people themselves. (Have you not ever come across a person who considers themselves strongly to be Jewish, but are atheist??) I think that perhaps you see things in black and white too much - there are many shades of grey.
I am generally "pro-secular" - but also "pro-Democracy". Therefore I could not in any way support the dictatorship in Syria. I do support the wonderful country of India - a Democracy with a very strong religious tradition. Also, for similar reasons, Poland. And also Spain and Portugal, now that they have come out of the dark periods of their Dictatorships.
No - I was never a supporter of Pauline Hanson. One good deed she did do for Australian politics was that she frightened the two mainstream political parties and shook their complacency. It is not good when a countries political system is totally dominated by Party systems. On the other hand, at least that system has some stability and constancy, when compared to other countries which have a multitude of competing political stances. I would never like to see my country become as unstable as say Italy. Or Iran - which basically is a one Party State ( or is it actually a no-party State). One Party States can run quite well - Singapore is a good example.
Barry
Barry,
"One Party States can run quite well – Singapore is a good example." As is China.
On Israel: I think you are missing my point. I detest that state but my argument with you here is more nuanced. One can make the case that the Jews constitute a "race" (your word) or a community, or a historic group like many others which deserves a homeland and that point of view in and of itself may not be based on religion. In fact many Zionist leaders like Ben Gurion and Golda Meir would call themselves secular jews, perhaps even atheists.
However one the whole ideology is based on the notion of collecting such people all over the world and placing them in a newly created, geographically defined place which they consider a Promised Land called Zion then that creed is based on religion. The jews of the world had no personal connection at all to Palestine. As several studies (some by Israeli social scientists) have shown most of the world's jews are not even direct descendants of the original inhabitants of Palestine but are the descendants of converts to Judaism during the las 2,000 years.
A proposal to create a Jewish Commonwealth in some uninhabited portion of Africa, South America or even Germany (AS COMPENSATION FOR THE NAZI CRIMES) would not have resulted in any opposition and much goodwill worldwide. But in fact the opposited happened: a RELIGIOUSLY BASED argument that a Jewish state could only be created in historic Palestine, that in fact the Jews had a religious right to the land carried the day. Incidentally the settlers in the occupied West Bank today (in 2010) make the same argument today to justify their dispossesion of Palestinian property owners. The land is "theirs" because it was promised to their ancestors. I assume you heartily agree.
It would be far more honest for you to acknowledge that you feel a kinship or cultural affinity with the Israelis (WHICH DETERMINES YOUR SUPPORT FOR THEIR CAUSE) that you will never feel for Palestinians and you care little for the facts outlined above. No doubt you felt the same affinity for the French settlers in Algeria during the 1950's or with the "WESTERN" white AFRIKANNERS (THE ISRAELIS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA) rather than their alien opponents.
@Samuel
Regards the creation of the State of Israel - that egg has been well and truly scrambled and the egg cannot be put together again now. Any attempt to discard the now scrambled egg will not be taken kindly by the Israelis. The surrounding Arab nations have tried it a few times and failed - it seems now that mostly they have gotten used to the idea. Now it is the turn of Iran to attempt this - and Israel knows it is being slowly surrounded by Iran and it's allies. Only time will tell how this will turn out. I suspect that it will turn out badly for the Regime in Syria.
"Detest" is a strong word. I can't help but wonder why an Iranian would have such fervour over Israel - I could understand it regarding the naming of the Arabian Gulf. Now that is an issue that Iran could really take to the Arab States. But then again, Persia no longer exists - so it does make some sense for it to be called the Arabian Gulf today.
Barry
The Israelis were the Shah's closest ally in the region and since 1948 they have constituted a base for Western imperialism in the region. Of course even with their reputation they have done some very stupid things that help us. First they invaded Lebanon in 1982 and they were so abusive of Lebanese Shiites that Hezbollah was born. Secondly they pushed the Americans to destroy Saddam and today Iraq is controlled by friendly Shiites.
"Israel knows it is being slowly surrounded by Iran and it’s allies". Exactly right!!! The Pasdaran has done a wonderful job with Hezbollah although folks like Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leaders also deserve all the credit in the world. Incidentally, Naghdi the head of the Basij, was active in this role during his earlier years.
Most importantly the high birth rate among Palestinians means that jews in Israel and the West Bank will soon be outnumbered. At that point the Jews of Israel will find themselves in the same position as their cousins, the Afrikaners, and Zionism like Apartheid will go (to use the old Russian phrase) into the "dustbin of history".
Re updates
More allegations - more denials. Which is true? Which is false?
Barry
Scott,
have you hired Catherine yet? :)
By the way we still love ya! Some it appears can't ponder the possibility the US may have committed a war crime. However, I do believe a large majority of the left has wrapped themselves in so much self loathing that they cannot see or report the truth. Instead they report the truth as they see it and use it as a tool to ply their trade. Foreign Policy Journal, in my opinion does that(I linked you to their article on "Why I like PressTV" ahwile back as evidence of this.) I do not believe you fall into that category but report news you think is worthy. I also believe you do it because you love your country. I am firm believer when evil is committed it must be exposed. Failure to do so only ensures it will happen again. That is not self loathing but someone who trully cares.
Thx
Bill
@ Barry
Did you realize that by now, even NATO admits that in the incident in Ghazi Khan village students were killed. Only by now, “Senior Western officers have hinted that the “trigger pullers” were Afghan” and US- or ISAF-Forces had nothing to do with it:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7040166.ece
That was different as long as the killed were referred to as an “Afghan terrorist cell”:
“This was a joint operation that was conducted against an IED cell that Afghan and US officials had been developing information against for some time,” said a senior Nato insider.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article6971638.ece
Bill,
Thank you very much for supportive words.
S.
@ Scott
I want to commend you for showing the same firmness bound by patience and restraint that Judge Goldstone displayed when he was accused of being a self-hating Jew. I think it's outrageous that a reader would hurl this totally unjustified insult at the very person who provides us all with this wonderful space.
@ Everyone
I have the feeling that people haven't read Starkey's reports very thoroughly.
Starkeys' first article (December) can't really do more than report on the incident and stake out the initial positions/accusations of all parties. Do onote that he quotes Nato’s International Security Assistance Force referring to a “joint coalition and Afghan security force” operation".
Starkey's second article (Feb 25, 2010) ends emphasising the fact that no one seems to know who actually carried out the killings: "Exactly who carried out the Narang raid is unclear. Colonel Gross said that US forces were present but did not lead the operation. Nato insists that the troops were not part of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf). US forces based in Kunar denied any knowledge of the raid. Senior Western officers have hinted that the “trigger pullers” were Afghan; the Afghan Defence Ministry said its troops were not involved. Mohammed Afzal, Narang’s district police chief, insisted that US special forces were involved."
Starkey's third report (Feb 26, 2010) indicates that Afgan suspicions now also fall on unknown "gunmen", "raiders" and "informants": "... investigators are no closer to arresting the gunmen involved. President Karzai’s security chiefs demanded that the raiders face trial, while local officials promised to arrest the informant, or informants, who fed covert US and Afghan forces false information before the assault". The covert forces mentioned still remain joint Afghan and US forces, and after quotes by Afghan officials accusing American forces Starkey relays the claims of other parties: "No one has admitted responsibility for the operation. US forces stationed near by denied any knowledge or involvement. Nato’s top legal adviser told The Times that US forces were present but not leading the operation. Senior officers in Kabul hinted that the “trigger-pullers” were Afghan. One official said that the force was “non-military”. Note the repetition of the "Afghan trigger-puller" theory, now rounded out by the theory of “non-military” shooters.
And when the various Afghan theories are related, they come out just as contradictory in Starkey's reporting as the conflicting NATO and US ones: "Local officials said a general from Bagram Air Field visited Narang soon after the raid. Assadullah Wafa said the raiders flew to Kunar from Kabul. A local police source said they thought they flew from Jalalabad, the main city in eastern Afghanistan."
The title of Starkey's fourth article (8 March, 2010) is, "Karzai offers families ‘blood money’ for sons killed in raid". There was never a question of Nato or US forces paying compensation for the victims (both Feb 25 and 26 articles state Afghan authorites would pay it), which is significant because US and Nato forces do pay this type of compensation quite frequently. This article is just as inconclusive about the perpetrators as his previous two:
- "Nato now believes the victims, aged 12-18, were killed in an operation based on faulty intelligence."
- "Nato said that the “joint assault force” was not under their command. One senior Nato source said that the gunmen were “non-military”. "
- "Assadullah Wafa, who led the initial investigation, said that the killers took off from Kabul, suggesting they were part of a Special Forces unit, although Nato officers have hinted that they were Afghan. "
- "The chief legal advisor at Nato’s Kabul headquarters, Colonel John Gross, said that US forces were present but not leading the operation in Ghazi Khan village in Narang district, in the early hours of December 27. "
- The local schoolmaster: “Karzai listened to everything, but he didn’t say anything about what he would do, he didn’t say anything directly, that he would arrest them, or bring them to justice. He just said that after 20 days or a month, he would call us back with the elders to talk about this issue.”
I think what we *can* conclude from Starkey's reporting is that something went terribly wrong that night, but it's not at all clear who was really responsible. The fact the Gen McChrystal has since issued new rules to limit the se of controversial night raids, but it was President Karzai who "paid the bill" so to speak, just makes the confusion a shared one. If a reader brings their own bias to the story as reported, they can side with any one of the claims made by the parties involved, but I don't think you can accuse these articles of doing anything more than trying to investigate a murky wartime tragedy.
Barry - Who is boxing everything into black & white? Is Hizballah akin to Taleban? No comparion in terms of their origin and development. Were not the Taleban the creation of US/ Pakistani intelligence financed by Saudi money? Were they not friends of Bush & his oil baron friends in Texas & did they not fall out with each other when the Taleban refused to go along with their plans & became a nightmare for their creators and after aiding & abetting Al Qaeda which the US holds responsible for the terrorist offence of 9/11, Obama's administration wants to bring these fanatics back into the Afghan government and the ex-Baathists of Iraq too. Do you, assuming you are a citizen of the US approve of it? IRI has not aggressed upon any of its neighbours but it has had an 8 year war imposed upon it. A war which unfortunately was aided & abetted by the US and its allies who provided the wherewithal for Saddam, another monster sustained by US & its Western & Arab allies, including the use of chemical weapons against hapless civilians in Iraq and in violation of international norms against the Iranian forces. Many who have been victims of this are still suffering. Since you support the hegemonic system imposed by the US on the whole world you should ask why in the name of the US people such death & destruction has been visited upon the people of Iraq & Afghanistan and why if 'democracy' is the raison d'etre of these invasions then why does the US not push for the democratic agenda amongst its own Arab allies, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, who between them have a worse democratic deficit and an abysmal human rights record as compared to IRI. As for the Israelis it is about time they accept that they created their whether based on a religious myth or as a colonialist enterprise, that they are sitting on someone else's land and sooner or later those people will be in a position to take it back. Better to accept a deal now along the lines of the Arab League plan now then when the current realities change in favour of other options.
Bill,
"has wrapped themselves in so much self loathing that they cannot see or report the truth."
For a second there I though you were talking about the greenie movement. It's the kind of condition that leads one to incessantly praise the Ayatollah Khomeini even as you try to destroy his legacy. The green leaders know they are betraying the revolution for which they fought but in order to for this to be psychologically acceptable they have to cling to Khomeini the way a drowning man holds a flotation device.