http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4359128.stm

Last Updated: Thursday, 20 October 2005, 04:37 GMT 05:37 UK


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US probe into 'Taleban burnings'



The US military says it will investigate claims that US soldiers publicly burnt the bodies of two Taleban fighters in Afghanistan.

It comes after an Australian TV station broadcast footage of what appear to be US soldiers burning the bodies.

The footage shows other troops apparently taunting residents of a nearby village, which they believed to be harbouring the Taleban.

The act of burning corpses is a violation of Islamic tradition.

The US military has condemned the alleged acts, saying they will be "aggressively investigated".

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Afghanistan

"This alleged action is repugnant to our common values, is contrary to our commands-approved tactical operating procedures, and is not sanctioned by this command," spokesman Maj Gen Jason Kamiya said.

'Cowardly dogs'

The footage was shot in the village of Gonbaz outside Kandahar by Australian cameraman Stephen DuPont, who was embedded with a US unit, for SBS's Dateline programme.


You are too scared to retrieve their bodies - this just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be



Troops' alleged message


It shows a group of five soldiers standing on a rocky ledge, watching two burning corpses with arms and legs outstretched.

Islamic tradition states that bodies should be washed, prayed over, wrapped in white cloth and buried within 24 hours.

The soldiers initially said they were burning the bodies for hygiene reasons.

The TV report also suggests that the incident could be in violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of enemy remains, which states that the dead should be honourably interred.

Later footage showed two soldiers reading from a notebook messages which they said had already been broadcast to villagers.

"Attention Taleban you are cowardly dogs," the message reads. "You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing West and burnt.

"You are too scared to retrieve their bodies. This just proves you are the ladyboys we always believed you to be."

There was no immediate reaction from the Afghan government, or human rights or UN officials in the capital, Kabul.
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A ku klux klan kentucky barbecue, medium rare taliban steaks all the rage $50 dollars a steak.

Is there anybody running this American army, ku klux klan burnings of taliban troops, and done in front of cameras, what are these guys trying to do, out do eachother for the sickest *astard of the year trophy.

Are the country inbreeds running the American army, 1st Lyndie england, now 5 klan members burning bodies in afghanistan.

Its about time the US issued a new army kit, how about white sheets with 3 cigar burned holes.

When does the commander and chief bush reign these inbreeds in, all we get is there will be a investigation, probably lasting years, how hard is it to view a video tape of these loonies at play, and then make a example out of them in public, the more they continue to wash there dirty linen in private, the more these clowns committing these acts, think they have free reign to do what the hell they want to do.

It seems to me, Vincent, that ye're condemning all of the soldiers in the US Army because of the acts of a few.

Do you do the same in civilian society? I.e., because someone murders someone else, you condemn the entire human population as murderers? Do you condemn all members of that society as wanton killers? ....just for the acts of a few?

Baron Max

It seems to me, Vincent, that ye're condemning all of the soldiers in the US Army because of the acts of a few.

Do you do the same in civilian society? I.e., because someone murders someone else, you condemn the entire human population as murderers? Do you condemn all members of that society as wanton killers? ....just for the acts of a few?

Baron Max
No baron i am not condemming the entire American army, but it only takes a few bad apples to make the entire army look bad, which is why when these things happen you need examples made fast in public to show that the loonies have not taken over the asylum.

The reluctance of the American government to let there soldiers face charges abroad or at home only festers the whole thing.

The US government opted out of American soldiers facing war crimes at the hague, which is basically saying we can keep our own house in order, but this incident is further proof they can not.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/341063.stm

Relatives of the 20 people who died after a US military jet sliced through a cable car wire in the Italian Alps are calling for the case to be reopened after the pilot was jailed for six months.

Captain Richard Ashby, 32, was jailed and dismissed from the Marine Corps on Monday for his part in the destruction of a video shot during the flight.

Ashby was aquitted in March of 20 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Ashby: Jailed and dismissed from Marine CorpsRelatives of those who died said the latest verdict was "offensive".

A statement released by the association of Italian victims' families said: "What is the logic that led to the acquittal (last March on charges of involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide) and then condemning Ashby for merely hiding the truth?"

The statement recalled that US President Bill Clinton had promised that those guilty would be punished.

"If the word of a US president has any value, and we think it does, we think justice would be served by re-opening the case," the statement said.

Mauro Gilmozzi, mayor of Cavalese, where the accident happened, said: "These trials have done everything but render justice. I would go even further to say that the truth has been hidden."

Relatives of the seven German victims, in a statement released by their Washington spokeswoman, also said the prison sentence was little consolation for the families.

Navigator dismissed

Ashby was at the controls of an EA-6B Prowler anti-radar jet which cut the cable on 3 February 1998, sending the gondola crashing 370ft to the ground.

The jet's navigator, Captain Joseph Schweitzer, 31, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and was dismissed from the service.

The videotape was shot from the cockpit of the Prowler during part of the flight by Schweitzer.

After landing the jet at the Nato air base in Aviano, Ashby removed the video.

He testified that he later gave the tape to Schweitzer at the navigator's request. Schweitzer said he later threw it on a bonfire.

The navigator himself earlier pleaded guilty to identical charges over the destruction of the tape and was dismissed. Manslaughter charges against him were dropped after Ashby was acquitted in March.

Schweitzer said he had destroyed the tape because it contained footage of his smiling face taken before the accident - pictures that he feared would be embarrassing if shown alongside images of the ski-lift tragedy.

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Once again as seen above we have American pilots making a balls up and getting a laughable six months in jail for killing 20 people in Italy, he should have been charged and judged in Italy where his sentence would have been very long.

The prick trashes the inflight tape which showed him smiling before the incident.

The US army or pilots should not be immune to standing trial in other countries if they commit crimes there.
By ignoring usual international extradition laws where there miltary is concerned, the Americans are giving there military a blank cheque to do what the hell they want to do, knowing that they will not face the music for there yahoo actions.

Poor nieve Vincent, Bush doesn't stop it because that's how they like to work. Torturing people, and exploiting muslim taboos has become a standard practice, not officially, of course, but with a wink and a nudge, and a "job well done". Some poor peons like Lindi take the fall to stem the public relations problem. It's not the army's fault at all, they are at odds with Field Marshall Von Rumsfeld.

Now, this is a remarkable thing. I think no one assumes that the American intelligence agencies have never tortured captives or prisoners in their history. What probably is very new, and new with the war on terror, is that there exists now documentary evidence, including documents from the Department of Justice lawyers themselves, talking about these procedures and in effect approving them.

Mark Danner, PBS Frontline interview

.... which is why when these things happen you need examples made fast in public to show that the loonies have not taken over the asylum.

Fast? You mean without any trial or investigation or evidence or any of that bullshit to get in the way of .....what... ...speedy guilty verdicts by a few radical hotheads who hate the Bush administration?

The US government opted out of American soldiers facing war crimes at the hague, which is basically saying we can keep our own house in order, but this incident is further proof they can not.

This incident only happened recently, Vince, ...you expect the execution of the guilty soldiers ever before they've been legally charged with a crime? How interesting. Perhaps we should just shoot all of the soldiers, then we'd not have to worry about a few rotten apples, huh? No trial, no investigation, no judges, .....just a good old fashioned executioner?

Baron Max