U.S. Soldiers Accused in Afghan Civilian Murders

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, has gone to extraordinary lengths to reduce the accidental killing of Afghan civilians, but now there is a case in which American soldiers are accused of murder.

The alleged killings happened near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are gearing up for the most important operation of the war, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

Special Section: Afghanistan

Members of a squad of about 10 American soldiers are under investigation for murdering at least three local villagers who had angered them. According to the allegations, this is not a case of civilians being mistaken for Taliban fighters and not a one-time moment of rage.

Instead, it happened on different occasions over the past several months. The squad leader, a sergeant, is said to have done the shooting.

In addition, some members of the squad are accused of smoking hash.

Charges could be brought against the soldiers as early as next week.

[UnitedWeFall]

I think it's disgusting that the media gets to paint such vile images of our troops and people..THE PEOPLE sit idle and don't ask any questions. This CBS report seems like went to Wikipedia as there source of information. Just as a prosecutor needs to create a case minus important facts so does the media throw words on a script and call it "news". I know one of these SOLDIERS very well and yea just knowing someone doesn't mean you KNOW them but when you fight a war, when you live with someone in abnormal, stressful, exhausting conditions you find their moral being. You know who they are! So in conclusion CBS, you disgusting me, me being a veteran soldier.

[Cuda-Driver]

Were you all crying when the bush administration tried and in some cases convicted U.S. Soldiers or is it because we have a Democrat President now.

Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr. was convicted of murder for his part in the shooting deaths of four Iraqis in 2007. The 28-year-old Army medic, one of a group of soldiers that faced charges in the case, admitted that he shot one of the victims in the back of the head.

The victims were a group of Iraqis who were detained briefly and questioned over an attack on a Baghdad military base.

Leahy was one of a group of soldiers who took detainees away after it was decided there was not enough evidence to charge them.

Blindfolded and gagged, the four were then shot and dumped in a canal.
During interrogation in January 2008, Leahy told military investigators he had shot an Iraqi in the back of the head with a pistol.

Leahy was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder by the nine-person panel.

Several other soldiers also face charges for involvement in the same incident.

US Army sniper Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval was sentenced Sept. 2007 to five months in prison for his role in covering up the shootings of three unarmed Iraqis. Sandoval was convicted at his court-martial of planting evidence but was acquitted of premeditated murder. In addition to the prison sentence, Sandoval will receive a reduction in rank and will be required to forfeit his pay.

Sandoval was charged along with Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley and Sgt. Evan Vela with premeditated murder and wrongfully placing a weapon with the remains of a deceased Iraqi for his role in the incidents, which took place in April and June 2007 in the vicinity of Iskandariyah, Iraq.

Two Green Berets - Cpt. Dave Staffel and Master Sgt. Troy Anderson - have been charged of murder. In October 2006 the soldiers were in Afghanistan. Sgt. Anderson is a sniper, and his gun was trained on a terrorist named Nawab Buntangyar, a bomb maker who was on a terrorist most-wanted list. At Cpt. Staffel's order, Sgt. Anderson shot and killed Buntangyar. An investigation concluded the shooting was justifiable because the terrorist was a killer. However, Lt. Gen. Francis Kearney ordered murder charges against the two Green Berets, saying the terrorist should have been captured. MSG Troy . The charges were ultimately dismissed.

Other several high-profile cases During the Bush administration such as Abu Ghraib, Americans soldiers in Afghanistan convicted of mistreating civilians and torturing prisoners.

I could give you more examples but the bottom line is this is not the first administration to charge and in some cases convict U.S soldiers.

[francescopa]

NOWAY.MURDER ********!What do you call,the killing of our soldiers?OBAMA step down,you going to drag this country to hell.And the oil spil is olso your fault.

[Cuda-Driver]

Francescopa... What's wrong with you?? Being drugged up killing innocent civilians is making the good troops look bad. Killing the enemy is another thing. Bush already dragged this country to hell. Did you say Bush should step down when he charged and convicted U.S. Troops of war crimes? And I suppose you think Obama blew up the oil rig himself. Get a clue.

[babooph]

They were sent by rotten cowards telling them torture & killing prisoners was ok-now they are charged by the new administration of bad behavior in hell...

[all_4_it]

THIS WHOLE THING IS HORRIBLE AND I AM ALL FOR THE MURDERS OF THE AFGANIES. LOOK AT HOW MANY OF OUR TROOPS HAVE BEEN KILLED THERE. I SAY WE JUST GET OUR TROOPS OUT AND NUKE EM ALL

[wyodutch]

What the heck... what are all those Afghani civilians doing in Afghanistan anyway?
.
My Lord... we've got to support the troops... After all, what's a little homicide here and there anyway?
.
We've got to allow the troops to "do their Jobs" without someone seocond-guessing them. They probably had good reason to smoke hashish and murder a few civilians.
.
Winning the hearts and minds... even if we have to blow out their brains in the process.

[Leaderless]

You forgot to mention that all our soldiers do is terrorized civilians and keeping them down, we're there because of the oil, there's no WMD, GWB lied and people die, 9/11 was stage, it's crusade, there no al qaeda there......did I leave anything out?
You should hang out with the taliban there wyodutch, they're very peaceful and wouldn't hurt a fly.

[Cuda-Driver]

Leaderless... Some soldiers are terrorizing and killing civilians making the good soldiers look bad and some have been convicted during the Bush administration. Bush did lie about WMDs and there were no al queda in Iraq before the Iraq war. Bush was the one to call the war a crusade. War for oil maybe or was because of his father's failings. 911 staged I think not.... did I leave anything out.

Maybe you should join the Taliban if you think war crimes are ok.

[tsigili]

Political tripe, most likely. trying to appease Karzai.....which is a mistake.

[Leaderless]

I'm sure the obamas regime believes that our troops "angered" at these "innocent" civilians for no good reasons.
And because they are a bunch of undisciplined cowboys, they went on a shooting rampage and then went on a drug binge.
Makes perfect sense in the world of obama.

[finkfurst]

"And because they are a bunch of undisciplined cowboys, they went on a shooting rampage and then went on a drug binge."

Isn't that exactly what American forces have done in every war in living memory? Have you forgotten Vietnam already?

[Leaderless]

finkfurst, I'm sure that in your world, that's what all American forces do.

[Cuda-Driver]

Leaderless... In the real world in some cases they do and there are making the good soldiers and America look bad. You must be one of the undisciplined cowboys.

[Cuda-Driver]

Leaderless... In the real world this is what some of our troops are doing and its making the good troops and America look bad. Maybe you are one of those undisciplined cowboys if you agree with them.

[babooph]

What a mess-sent to hell & then charged with bad actions there-just bring them all home-"fight them there so we do not fight them here" already shown to be one more lie from idiot George-they were already here & he did not understand...

[army166]

"Obama is making it into Viet Nam all over again. " Are you goofy? McCrystal is in charge and has always had a problem with civilians being killed. Same as Petraeus. Get off your Obama kick. We don't kill civilians because they make us 'angry'.

[finkfurst]

army166 - No, you kill them because you don't give a sh*t.

[USMC-Mom]

No finkfurst, because they do give a _______ !
Fink, since you have all the answers go fix this. You hate our Troops, so go show US how "it's" done. Please.

If you can't stand behind Our Troops then feel free to stand out front.