Suspects Detained in Deadly Afghan Bombing

(CBS)  The U.S. military has detained three people in connection with the roadside bombing in Afghanistan that claimed the life of an American soldier and CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick.

The three suspects were taken to an U.S. detention facility at Bagram Air Base after investigators gathered forensic evidence from the scene, including fingerprints from the vehicle wreckage and the discovery of explosive residue on at least one of the suspects, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin.

Shortly after the suspects were taken into custody, an Afghan official tried to convince the Americans that they had the wrong men. That piqued the interest of investigators because the cell phone of one suspect had a number for an office in the Afghan Defense Ministry in Kabul, reports Martin. There have been allegations of widespread corruption in that ministry and other arms of the Afghan government.

(Ed. Note: Tune in to the CBS Evening News for David Martin's latest report, tonight at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.)

The roadside bombing took place Friday. Four people were in the vehicle that was struck - the soldier who was killed, McCormick and two other troops who received minor wounds and were subsequently returned to their unit.

Listen: Cami McCormick reports on the increasing danger from roadside bombs

Listen: Cami McCormick reports on the growing number of U.S. casualties in Afghanistan

The Defense Department identified the deceased soldier as Spc. Abraham S. Wheeler III, 22, of Columbia, S.C.

Abraham Wheeler, Jr., the soldier's father, told WIS-TV that he had been "dying for him to come home, but not like this."

McCormick sustained multiple injuries, including fractures to her arms and legs. After undergoing a series of successful surgeries at U.S. military facilities in Afghanistan, she was in Germany for further treatment.

She is scheduled to return to the U.S. later this week for continued treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center.

[mysteriousjz]

Ceaseless quest for an enemy to destroy.

Losing at all fronts is not acceptable....so hate the Afghan govt. and forget who and how it was propped in the first place......

Let's lay out a case against Karzai........

Ding Dong.... Karzai is the next enemy to destroy.... ding dong... here comes another bombshell....any moment now....

Wait!!!! You can stop the detruction and self-mutilation....: Look no further for an enemy to destroy! Just look in the mirror.......

[hungry1968-16]

by clarkalex August 31, 2009 10:15 PM EDT
Would you prefer she died to save a taxpayer dime? Sheesh!
BTW, know of many private stateside docs with extensive experience healing combat related injuries? And no, gang warfare in inner cities is NOT the same.







She KNOWINGLY put herself in harm's way, it's HER responsibility (or her employers for sending her there).

If you or I got hurt overseas - there or anywhere else - we WOULD NOT be afforded the same treatment that she is getting.

So why is she?

[ffoulkes-2009]

Wow...you are even worse today than usual. Actually, if you are injured while with troops...doesn't matter who you are or why you are with them, you will be treated by military personnel. This is regardless of whether you are there as a reporter, on a ride-a-long, as a contractor, or a prisoner, you will be treated just the same.

[nextgenman09]

You've turned into a freak, Hungry. I used to respect you.

[hungry1968-16]

by blergh August 31, 2009 9:58 PM EDT
Would you rather have had her bleed out on the side of the road? Of course the US military is going to treat her--who else would have? The military doctors are some of the best in the world--and also best know how to treat the unique injuries of war. I'm sure CBS will take good care of her once she's home, and you won't have to worry about your tax dollars being spent on her. (Which brings up a personal point--as she is an embedded reporter providing what I would consider a service towards her country and its soldiers (whatever you think about the war itself), I am okay with my tax dollars being spent to save the life of any American who gets injured over there.)






To hell with that!!!

OUR military provides medical services to OUR military people ONLY!!

If I get sick in England on a tourist visit, can I go to the US embassy and get free care?

No.

She's there voluntarily, let her go to the nearest civilian hospital for treatment - just like I would have to if I was there.

Unless of course our military medical facilities are going to offer FREE treatment to ALL Americans, at home and abroad.

[hungry1968-16]

"McCormick sustained multiple injuries, including fractures to her arms and legs. After undergoing a series of successful surgeries at U.S. military facilities in Afghanistan, she was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment."







AGAIN---WHY are reporters getting medical treatment from US military medical facilities?

[wyodutch]

Can you say... "Public Relations"????

[blergh]

Would you rather have had her bleed out on the side of the road? Of course the US military is going to treat her--who else would have? The military doctors are some of the best in the world--and also best know how to treat the unique injuries of war. I'm sure CBS will take good care of her once she's home, and you won't have to worry about your tax dollars being spent on her. (Which brings up a personal point--as she is an embedded reporter providing what I would consider a service towards her country and its soldiers (whatever you think about the war itself), I am okay with my tax dollars being spent to save the life of any American who gets injured over there.)

[cattiej]

Parents of these soldiers, you have got to become pro-active and tell your politicans that you want you kids home from Iraq and Afghanastan. The Afghani officals are in sleeping with the enemy. We have sent over 33 BILLION DOLLARS to Afghanistan. There are over 87,000 weapons missing in Afghanistan. Why are we there. Obama said the first thing he would do would be to bring our troops home. Everyone start calling the White House, lets get the protests out to bring our sons and daughter's home. This is not a war, it's murder of our soldiers. This is just as bad as Vietnam. At least in Nam some of our troops were able to hid in the bush. In these countries they are just sitting ducks..They are not protecting our freedom, to protect our freedom and protect us from terriorts, they need to come home and protect our borders. Bush and Chaney, should be taken before the Geneva court and tried for treason against the United States. I will also remember that Ted Kennedy voted against this unjust war.

[steven1nc]

My son was wounded Saturday in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber detonated himself 15 feet from my son. These Taliban are not stupid. The suicide bomber, wearing his explosives on the front of himself, walked up to talk to the lieutenant, radioman, afghan interpreter, and another soldier, turned himself to them, and then detonated himself. My son was standing to the side about 15 ft away scanning the area. The blast knocked him off his feet. He crawled/rolled into a ditch not knowing if it was a mortar, rpg, or what the heck happened. As soon as he saw all was clear he charged out to give aid to the wounded, then saw he had blood gushing from his ankle, tied a light tourniquet around is leg, and continued to aid the wounded. Then a sergeant saw he was bleeding from his side, told him to remove his body armor, put clotting powder on his wounds, and slapped some bandages on him. Then my son grabbed a machine gun and held security over the area. He and the other wounded were taken to Kandahar to be treated. He called us from the hospital after coming out of x-ray. My son says his face looks like bad acne from the blast, has shrapnel from head to toe, and has been picking pieces of shrapnel from his arms and leg. He's partially deaf in one ear...the hearing may or may not come back. He was told they were going to do surgery to remove the piece of shrapnel from his ankle the following morning. Later in the evening we were called by the Dept of the Army and told the hospital in Kandahar had determined he was not seriously injured and returned to duty. The other 3 U.S. soldiers will be sent back to the States for further treatment. I'm not sure where the Afghan interpreter is being sent for further treatment he needs.

[jtleseth]

be compassionate and lettem go

[wyodutch]

We're an army of occupation in someone else's country.

They're simply doing what they consider to be patriotic.

[gomzee69]

The Taliban are the army of occupation. With the help of Pakistan, and Al Queda, they took over Afghanistan, and force it's version of Islam on the the people.

[T-Fed]

I just returned from there. Reporters are nothing more than targets there and in Iraq. Welcome to modern warfare McCormick. Now how about less coverage on her and alot more for the injured Soldiers and SPC Wheeler III, age 22, who died in that attack. FYI, I didn't trust the Afghan government officials anymore than I trust socialist BHO.

[irreverent1-2009]

We have been treading water in Afghanistan longer than our current excursion into Irag and for all this time we haven't been able to field an Afghanistan army that can defend it's own country. Ask yourself why that is and the only conclusion I have come to is that they are perfectly willing to accept Taliban rule and most of them just want to grow poppy plants. They are happy to have foreign occupiers entrenched there and pumping millions of dollars into their country that otherwise they wouldn't have.

[jwesel1]

Seems that the US can't find enough puppets in Afghanistan like it found in Japan, South Korea, Phillipines, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia. Who said colonizing Afghanistan would be easy.