US Army -Kill Team- in Afghanistan posed for photos of murdered civilians

[jackovesk]

Commanders in Afghanistan are bracing themselves for possible riots and public fury triggered by the publication of “trophy” photographs of US soldiers posing with the dead bodies of defenceless Afghan civilians they killed.

Senior officials at Nato’s International Security Assistance Force in Kabul have compared the pictures published by the German news weekly Der Spiegel to the images of US soldiers abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq which sparked waves of anti-US protests around the world.

They fear that the pictures could be even more damaging as they show the aftermath of the deliberate murders of Afghan civilians by a rogue US Stryker tank unit that operated in the southern province of Kandahar last year.

Some of the activities of the self-styled “kill team” are already public, with 12 men currently on trial in Seattle for their role in the killing of three civilians.

Five of the soldiers are on trial for pre-meditated murder, after they staged killings to make it look like they were defending themselves from Taliban attacks.

http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-194553-galleryV9-ocbh.jpg

http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-194584-galleryV9-ghyz.jpg

http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-194596-galleryV9-pvhp.jpg

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368314/German-newspaper-publishes-suppressed-photos-U-S-soldiers-posing-partially-naked-Afghan-corpse.html

PS - As repulsive as the above images portray, lets not 'Sugar Coat' or Tolerate this Murder & Abuse anymore!

[shadowstalker]

My heart goes out to those people..

[king anthony]

As repulsive as the above images portray, lets not 'Sugar Coat' or Tolerate this Murder & Abuse anymore!

The truth being, this happens more then anyone will ever know, domestically and abroad; the above photos are not even a fraction of the reality that has been, is now and will be. The unfortunately reality, the few (sociopaths) that 'rule' must be 'stopped' - to accomplish this will take more then words alone.

[Ilie Pandia]

*edit-notice* - I have slightly edited the title of the thread. It had some characters that were invalid for some browsers and people could not open the thread.

[Champion the Wonderhorse]

I was once a soldier. But when I see pictures like this............. What I want to say would be censored!

What are they fighting for?............... What have they become?

Pray for the souls of the dead and pray for the consciousness of the living.
The fighting in Afghanistan has been going for nearly ten years!

"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
"Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one."
Friedrich Nietzsche

[Nanoo Nanoo]

My dear friends , Please understand this.

These soldiers do not represent the good people of the USA, i know we understand this but please keep this in your heart. These soldiers are lost souls and their abuse of human rights and life is being used to further bring hatred to the entire USA as its their will to bring war upon it. People who do this sort of thing will be dealt with in the most serious manner eventually.

My heart goes out to all the innocent people at the hands of these foolish men.

I pray for the beautiful innocent people of the middle east to bring their spirits high as their suffering is ended.

N

[Nervana]

How sad and sick that armies around the world turns young adults into brutal killing machines. I totally oppose all wars that this horrible government of US has waged across the world. My heart and prayers go out to all the victims here and abroad. May we beg to be forgiven for all the hate and murder that has been released.

[slipknotted]

that is just wrong, it say's alot about who they are and it's a shame the dead are being shown like trophy's they should be kicked out of the service, they have disgraced the human being, one more reason why ET's have kept there distance from us, these war's and killing affect all of us and there actions are keeping all of humanity from moving forward to a higher place.

[astrid]

There's no words for this.

Yet another reason why war is the problem and never the solution.

My heart goes out to the souls of these innocent people and to the soldiers that they might wake up to what they have done.

[BMJ]

No wonder the ET's have quarantined our stupid species.

The soldiers are trophy posing for the camera, disgusting & shocking.

[linz2d]

It is when I see such things, then I begin to wonder that maybe it would be best if we the human race were wiped of the face of this planet. For in us there can be such cruelty, brutality and disrespect for each other.

[Darla Ken Pearce]

If you paid taxes ~ if you supported these wars in any way, or if you sustained the lies that led to them ~ you bought the bullets and new boots these soldiers are wearing to kick down doors and dreams of so many innocent people, my dearest ones! This is the new face of America of our own creation. We allowed this and are still allowing it this moment. Makes you want to place your hand over your heart at the next sport's event. And they call me a dreamer ; ) xoxox

[Zook]

Incidents like this often revisit the troubling question ... are psychopaths made in the initial hardwiring of the brain? Or through cumulative softwiring by the environment?

:smow::typing:

ps: Whatever the explanation, let's not forget that some seriously twisted trucks roll about amidst us, e.g. not all the sickness of mind in the human condition resides in the capstone of the pyramid.

[Ahkenaten]

Only the deepest kind of ignorance would permit such deeds. Truly that is the only explanation I have ever been able to come up with, and it is not much of a comfort - even in the face of truly satanic, seemingly deliberate, calculating acts of evil, one must know that if the individual truly knew what they were doing and the implications of it on the highest level of existence, they could not possibly have done it. They know not what they do. And to the extent that each of our fears and the hatred reflects these extreme acts, we are like them. Ignorance must be eradicated with the power of love and understanding. There is no other way. The only thing we can do personally is to change ourselves and hope that the world will someday reflect the goodness that is inside us.

[Icecold]

The US army doctrine of engagement (the one they don't tell you about) is appalling, persistent since WW2 pacific war. They de-humanise their enemy using words such as nip, Tojo, Kraut, Gook, Towel head. This is consistent behaviour by the Americans for over 60 years. Its there way of addressing an enemy. This cowardly method of engagement was developed by American Forces during the Indian Wars...when their enemy was the 'redskin', 'savage', and 'injun'. Makes it easy to commit genocide on innocents such as women and children. With all their technology, they are man for man, very poorly trained soldiers. It is little wonder that since Korea, their enemies so easily defeat them.

I curse the MIC and curse the American Army.

[Ahkenaten]

Icedold now these days with the American population being in general, in such bad shape (by design) educationally, physically, socially, intellectually, educationally and spiritually (they may not fully understand it yet but also economically and politically) the armed forces are in bad shape as they are representative of the lower classes of the society and most signed up because they wanted a job. Not that that is an excuse, it is just the truth. The true blame for the overall policies that resulted in things like the abuses in the prisons in Iraq, Gitmo and elsewhere lie at the top of the feeding chain. This does not absolve individuals of responsibility for their acts - but the main burden of responsibility for the deplorable state of the US society and what the country has done in the name of its citizens lies in the hands of the so-called leaders whether they be the puppets in leadership positions or those meeting in secret behind the curtains.

And because of the deplorable state of things in the US, it literally would take a miracle to effect positive change and anyone hoping to foment a revolution is barking up the wrong tree. Just take a walk through Wal-Mart on a Sunday afternoon and you will see why.

Again - predominant moral responsibility for the horrible state of affairs and the abysmal influence of the US on current and recent events lies on the "leaders" because the everyday populance has been de-engineered for over 100 years.

[Lost Soul]

Soldiers have been doing this or worse for centuries. Unfortunately for the US, all this does is increase the desire for revenge. There are so many Pakistanis or Afghanis already in the United States and I'm sure many of them have lost relatives to NATO strikes/troop actions. It's only a matter of time before one of these angered individual learns on the net how to do something and then does it.

The US needs to get out of these countries. No more foreign adventures. The nation is broke with 44 million on food stamps and God knows how many on extended unemployment benefits. It can't afford the war anymore and there is absolutely no moral grounds to continue it.

[Lord Sidious]

I was once a soldier. But when I see pictures like this............. What I want to say would be censored!

What are they fighting for?............... What have they become?

Pray for the souls of the dead and pray for the consciousness of the living.
The fighting in Afghanistan has been going for nearly ten years!

"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
"Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one."
Friedrich Nietzsche

They are battling to ''win'' their war, but have lost their souls.
The saddest part is that they don't even realise that.
Yet.

[Charlie Pecos]

Before we condemn these soldiers, let us first consider that they are trained, programmed, and conditioned to commit these acts with no regard to the sanctity of human life, by those who have no regard for the sanctity of human life.

Perhaps our disdain and condemnation is best placed upon those who sold our country and it's people to greedy corporations for the money in their pockets- our political "leaders".

Look at our culture. Our children come of age in a culture of violence. We buy them first person shooter video games and let them play these games for hours on end. We let them watch violent movies and TV shows, hell, we encourage them because we like them too. We see nothing wrong with this. They are trained from a very early age to be desensitized to violence and human suffering. Then we send them off to the military which has a culture all it's own. Much better to fit in and do what everyone else is doing.....killing. These young people have no idea what they've become until it's too late.

A friend of mine is an Iraq war veteran. He is heavily overweight and smokes pot like there is no tomorrow. Last year, his girlfriend found him in the closet with a pistol in his mouth, trying to work up the courage. He couldn't and still can't deal with the pain of what he had witnessed and what he had done in Iraq. These young men and women who think they are doing something good for their country join the forces only to discover something that is horribly wrong.

These good American kids find themselves committing acts of genocide under "combat" conditions. They witness things no one should ever be a part of. They are left to deal with the psychological ramifications on their own. If they seek help, they are singled out and punished. Our daughters are raped by their comrades, and nothing is routinely done about it. We wonder why the suicide rate among returning veterans is 4 times the national average.

Our young men and women pay a very high price for our supposed freedom. The acts they are involved in generate karma that will have to be relieved. They should never be put in this position. The responsibility rests with all of us.

My heart goes out to the peoples of the middle east. These American wars of greed must stop.

[Chicodoodoo]

not all the sickness of mind in the human condition resides in the capstone of the pyramid.

True, but the worst of it does indeed reside there. If you want to get to the root of the problem, you will find it at the top of the power pyramid.

[MargueriteBee]

Those soldiers may not even be human. Animals!

[Wookie]

In the end one must take responsibility for ones own actions. Trained and brainwashed to be a murderer in the army, DON"T join the army. Yes the orders come from somewhere, but its up to the individual to follow them. Its ones own choose to be informed or to be complacent. The people in power only have power because people chose to follow them. I pray that all the souls wake up and see the power they have and keep that power for themselves rather than giving it away blindly to those that know how to use it for their own selfish gains. Soon all the people that were just following orders will return and be a part of society, how will the adapt? how will they cope when they realize it was them that committed crimes against humanity not the people that order them to do it. I'm not trying to lift blame from those that give the orders but, In the end one must take responsibility for ones own actions.

Peaceful Journeys with Love Wookie

[Charlie Pecos]

It is all too easy to stand in judgement of those whose imperceptions to a rigged game have led them down the wrong path. Personal choice and the responsibilty that comes with that choice certainly always apply, but responsibility lies with society as a whole, not just the individual. Have you ever done something you knew was wrong but went along with it anyway because the group you were with saw no problem with it? We are much more vulnerable to this in our formative years. When all members of society and their leaders say that these things are wrong and refuse to participate in them, then will we know a different world.

[Ilie Pandia]

This one of the best videos from Love Police and it fits very well with this thread!

8DXBEYE-fLI

[ceetee9]

And we wonder why the US is hated by so many people around the world. While I'm sure these murderers are not representative of the vast majority of American soldiers who believe they are truly fighting for our freedom and doing the right thing, I hope it gives them all pause to do some serious soul searching. War never has been, and never will be, the solution to our problems and differences. It merely fans the flames of hatred and ensures there will be an endless supply of dead and broken bodies and destroyed families.

[Ilie Pandia]

Those soldiers may not even be human. Animals!

If I may, I would not compare those soldiers with animals. It is disrespectful to the animals. You will not find anything like this in the "wild" world of the animal kingdom...

As Mark Twain says in his "Mysterious Stranger" novel: "Only civilized people are capable of such things"

[Spiralmind]

This video is so appropriate:

DxN6RqZ1mbg

[Chicodoodoo]

The people in power only have power because people chose to follow them.

This is not true. We really need to get past this human tendency to over-simplify. Things are much more complex than this.

The people do not choose to follow the people in power. They are deceived into following them. The people that follow are being conned. They would not follow if they knew the truth. The people in power are the con-artists. They would never be in power if the followers knew the truth about the con-game. That's how con-games work. They are elaborate and complex, but they absolutely rely on deception to work.

[ktlight]

I was once a soldier. But when I see pictures like this............. What I want to say would be censored!

What are they fighting for?............... What have they become?

Pray for the souls of the dead and pray for the consciousness of the living.
The fighting in Afghanistan has been going for nearly ten years!

"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
"Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one."
Friedrich Nietzsche

TPTB want the heroin. A barrel of heroin is valued at $19,000,000,000+, much more than oil, or the figure might have started with a $39,etc.

[Dennis Jonathan]

How can a person do such a thing? That is the important question.

The solution will not be found by appeasing our own selfish desires to spend emotional energy placing blame, and venting anger. It is important to understand that this is a reflection of us all. When I look at these pictures, I see the darkest side of myself. I see the version of me that I could have been, and think "there but by the grace of God go I".

Let us be mature enough to handle this in a way that has meaning. No temper tantrum will create a consciousness shift. The first step to growth is to recognize our starting point.

[bennycog]

The words that came straight to my mind was "F@%K YOU war machine."
We will fight back with out harming you physically because we are not like you. Our collateral damage will be turning fear and demon sacrifice into understanding and harmonic influence for good.
You will fear us, as our power resonates and not detonates.

[manny]

i once worked with a guy that did a 12 month tour of duty in iraq(i think he said)
he claimed to have have similar photos,though i never did see or want to see them.
he was proud and boasted about this.

there is no reasoning with the mindset of the brainwashed.

for he felt he did no wrong.or has said .
they would do the same or worse to us.

i,m not sure how to put this into words ,but i will try.
i once knew a man who enjoyed hurting people.maiming them.
he did plenty of jailtime.
a very dangourous person.

when i was 16 i prayed that he would see the errors of his ways.

i don,t know if the prayer was heard or not but he eventually settled down,and married.
don,t here much of his violence these days.

maybe a prayer to the soldiers who have lost their way,to help them see their mistakes.

if this makes sense.

we are all gods children.

[T Smith]

The US army doctrine of engagement (the one they don't tell you about) is appalling, persistent since WW2 pacific war. They de-humanise their enemy using words such as nip, Tojo, Kraut, Gook, Towel head. This is consistent behaviour by the Americans for over 60 years. Its there way of addressing an enemy. This cowardly method of engagement was developed by American Forces during the Indian Wars...when their enemy was the 'redskin', 'savage', and 'injun'. Makes it easy to commit genocide on innocents such as women and children. With all their technology, they are man for man, very poorly trained soldiers. It is little wonder that since Korea, their enemies so easily defeat them.

I curse the MIC and curse the American Army.

Yes, this is all true. But we are all guilty. At least you are not an American taxpayer, so your degree of complicity is less than mine. Where there's propaganda, entrainment techniques, and outright mind-control by the military, there are also those who allow themselves to be controlled. There are also those who condone this madness. There is no excuse for these crimes, committed in the name of society at large. We are all part of this madness.

We need to say no, collectively, to these crimes.

[Lord Sidious]

How can a person do such a thing? That is the important question.

The solution will not be found by appeasing our own selfish desires to spend emotional energy placing blame, and venting anger. It is important to understand that this is a reflection of us all. When I look at these pictures, I see the darkest side of myself. I see the version of me that I could have been, and think "there but by the grace of God go I".

Let us be mature enough to handle this in a way that has meaning. No temper tantrum will create a consciousness shift. The first step to growth is to recognize our starting point.

They figure out who they want throught the process of conditioning in recruit training.
The purpose is to break as many as possible and keep those that don't break.
Those ones go on for more intensive conditioning.
I know, they did it to me and I am still trying to get it out of my system.

[T Smith]

The people in power only have power because people chose to follow them.

This is not true. We really need to get past this human tendency to over-simplify. Things are much more complex than this.

The people do not choose to follow the people in power. They are deceived into following them. The people that follow are being conned. They would not follow if they knew the truth. The people in power are the con-artists. They would never be in power if the followers knew the truth about the con-game. That's how con-games work. They are elaborate and complex, but they absolutely rely on deception to work.

You have basically nailed it in handful of sentences. The only thing I would add is, at some point, we all need to take responsibility for being conned. This may be what Wookie is driving at. It's time to wake up folks. All of us. Not just those of us who are screaming loudly on this forum. The ruse is elaborate and complex, yes... but the whole of it should be obvious to any average-minded six year old. Being the subject--and victim--of manipulation is no longer adequate defense.

[manny]

How can a person do such a thing? That is the important question.

The solution will not be found by appeasing our own selfish desires to spend emotional energy placing blame, and venting anger. It is important to understand that this is a reflection of us all. When I look at these pictures, I see the darkest side of myself. I see the version of me that I could have been, and think "there but by the grace of God go I".

Let us be mature enough to handle this in a way that has meaning. No temper tantrum will create a consciousness shift. The first step to growth is to recognize our starting point.

They figure out who they want throught the process of conditioning in recruit training.
The purpose is to break as many as possible and keep those that don't break.
Those ones go on for more intensive conditioning.
I know, they did it to me and I am still trying to get it out of my system.
may i ask you they did it to.
but at that time in your life did you want that ,did you feel a part of something.
did you feel it was right for your country.
and was it not you became older and more wiser that you realised it was all brainwashing.
maybe you had to go through this procedure to move on .
we all make mistakes and grow with the help of others.

[Lord Sidious]

How can a person do such a thing? That is the important question.

The solution will not be found by appeasing our own selfish desires to spend emotional energy placing blame, and venting anger. It is important to understand that this is a reflection of us all. When I look at these pictures, I see the darkest side of myself. I see the version of me that I could have been, and think "there but by the grace of God go I".

Let us be mature enough to handle this in a way that has meaning. No temper tantrum will create a consciousness shift. The first step to growth is to recognize our starting point.

They figure out who they want throught the process of conditioning in recruit training.
The purpose is to break as many as possible and keep those that don't break.
Those ones go on for more intensive conditioning.
I know, they did it to me and I am still trying to get it out of my system.
may i ask you they did it to.
but at that time in your life did you want that ,did you feel a part of something.
did you feel it was right for your country.
and was it not you became older and more wiser that you realised it was all brainwashing.
maybe you had to go through this procedure to move on .
we all make mistakes and grow with the help of others.

The thing is, they do this to you, but you aren't told or informed that they will do it.
Not only that, you are stuck with it for the rest of your life, if you can't break it, that is.
I wanted to be part of the army, that is true and I believed at the time that I was doing something for my nation as well.
I knew there was brainwashing whilst I was in and my lack of co operation was what singled me out for extra attention.
At one stage, they drowned me in a river. I only barely escaped that experience.
I am stuck right now at a point where I don't know what is holding me back and there isn't much in the way of help to figure it out.
As I said to someone else today, it is like a black hole swirling inside, consuming all and very hard to escape.

[The HoppyBunny]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWUQ_N_vHc0