Sunday, November 4, 2012

Did Sgt. Bales Act Alone When He Massacred 16 Civilians In Kandahar?

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 1st platoon sergeant, Blackhorse Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, in 2011. (Spc. Ryan Hallock, 28th Public Affairs/U.S. Army)

Did Accused Kandahar Killer Sgt. Bales Act Alone? -- Daily Beast

At around 3 a.m. on March 11, if the United States government is to be believed, a hero turned into a monster. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, a family man and decorated soldier thrice awarded the Army medal for good conduct, slipped out of his military base in southern Afghanistan and, for reasons unknown, began firing indiscriminately from house to house as he carved a path of mayhem through two villages. By the time he stopped shooting, 16 civilians—mostly women and children—were dead; the bodies were then burned. He had been drinking, the government maintains, and taking drugs. If convicted, he will stand alongside Lt. William Calley as one of the worst perpetrators of American military atrocities in modern times.

Read more
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Update:
Hearing set for Afghan slayings suspect Bales after lengthy wait -- The Olympian

My Comment: This case is going to be closely watched .... both here and in Afghanistan. I am not surprised that it has taken this long to go to trial .... it would also not surprise me if a verdict will be stretched out until U.S. combat troops are out of Afghanistan in 2014. As to what is my take on this case .... I cannot help but feel for the families that have been directly impacted by this massacre .... the Afghan families who lost loved ones, and in Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' family back home.

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