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Rogue US soldier kills up to 17 Afghan civiians

Rambo's evil twin? Discuss.

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Reply 1
What was the reason this time for killing 9 children (the youngest was 2) and then later burning the body?
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2
This is why these interventions always fail. Over a decade and no real progress. Bush and his idiotic administration have ended up destroying the American nation about x999999 times more than they did "terrorists". The funniest thing is how they have managed to succeed in convincing joe public that supporting these wars is the only way to be patriotic. Imagine if they had been smart and spent the trillions they have spent overseas domestically. Most of the countries still with large involvement in Afghanistan like France, Turkey, Denmark and so on are trying to scramble as fast as possible.
(edited 12 years ago)
Due to a psychological breakdown, apparently.

Currently, 10 have been confirmed dead and 5 wounded.
Reply 4
Original post by gunit123
What was the reason this time for killing civilians?


Reports are saying hes had a mental breakdown.
Reply 5
Original post by lambert1
Rambo's evil twin? Discuss.


If he doesn't get the death penalty, than you know the US have double standards.............which is bound to happen like the last lot, he got 2 months
Reply 6
Original post by Iqbal007
If he doesn't get the death penalty, than you know the US have double standards.............which is bound to happen like the last lot, he got 2 months


If he has had a psychological breakdown then even if he did this in the states its unlikely he would get the death penalty
Original post by Iqbal007
If he doesn't get the death penalty, than you know the US have double standards.............which is bound to happen like the last lot, he got 2 months


Technically Americans don't execute the mentally ill.
Although their definition of that does seem to vary from moment to moment
Reply 8
Original post by Iqbal007
If he doesn't get the death penalty, than you know the US have double standards.............which is bound to happen like the last lot, he got 2 months


If he is mentally ill which he clearly must be then you shouldn't execute him just put him into a secure nut house for the rest of his life. The things they will see out there makes them allot more likley to have a breakdown than back here.
Reply 9
Original post by Aj12
If he has had a psychological breakdown then even if he did this in the states its unlikely he would get the death penalty



Original post by Jamie
Technically Americans don't execute the mentally ill.
Although their definition of that does seem to vary from moment to moment


I honestly don't think he has had a mental illness, cos of how the justice system works, people always plead insanity to get around jail.................plus the different views of what is a mental breakdown...........cos he could have just been angry and gone off and started killing people. After the last civilian death case, USA have no justice system at all, all biased to their soldiers....the last got 2 months and honorable discharge for the killings of families, while the rest were acquitted.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 10
May they rest in peace.
Reply 11
Original post by Shabalala
If he is mentally ill which he clearly must be then you shouldn't execute him just put him into a secure nut house for the rest of his life. The things they will see out there makes them allot more likley to have a breakdown than back here.


Surely if it were a psychological breakdown he would kill both Americans and Afghans? Yet he was calm enough to stop killing civilians and give himself to the Americans.
Reply 12
Original post by Iqbal007
I honestly don't think he has had a mental illness.................plus the different views of what is a mental breakdown...........cos he could have just been angry and gone off and started killing people. After the last civilian death case, USA have no justice system at all, all biased to their soldiers.


So you are a psychologist? We can't make any judgements on this man till at least hes in court and even then we won't know all the details. To claim there is no justice system or anything like that is just idiocy at this point. At least wait till hes on trial.
Reply 13
Original post by Aj12
So you are a psychologist? We can't make any judgements on this man till at least hes in court and even then we won't know all the details. To claim there is no justice system or anything like that is just idiocy at this point. At least wait till hes on trial.


Sorry, but after the last cases where soldiers killed innocent civilians,knowingly and got away with it......has left me quite upset. Especially the little girl who lost her entire family...........everyone else gets acquitted, the last guy get 2 months jail and honourable discharge......well the system failed the civilians that suffered.
Reply 14
Original post by Shabalala
If he is mentally ill which he clearly must be then you shouldn't execute him just put him into a secure nut house for the rest of his life. The things they will see out there makes them allot more likley to have a breakdown than back here.


He'll probably be able to get out of that secure nut house in a few years, always happens, they always fall back on pleading insanity -_-.
Reply 15
was about to make thread on this, but saw this one so i'll just add my thread start as a post.

Some people may think 'big deal isn't that what soldiers do everyday' and other such ridiculous things, no, this is not a tragic accident, this is not even death caused by negligence of a soldier, both of which are already terrible things, this is deliberate murder.

This man has single handedly set back the NATO mission and irreparably damaged relations with not only the local people of the village but possibly the whole province and to some extent the country. For each one of his victims there will be dozens of family members now convinced to take up arms against ISAF, farmers, merchants and tradesmen all now willing to plant IED's for the Taliban or take up arms against foreign forces.

The approval and friendship of the local nationals is vital in operations such as the conflict in Afghanistan, where having the locals on side in the past has saved lives, when locals have come to FOBs and PB's to tell ISAF forces where IED's have been planted, or even warn when Taliban are in the area.

This man has thrown that all away, and in doing so risked the lives of every single ISAF member in the region.


What i would like to know is how the happened. Did he leave camp alone or as part of a patrol? If he left camp alone, why was able to do so? Military camps the world over have sentries, men guarding the entrances and exits, this is also true of those in Afghanistan, so why did the guards allow a lone soldier to go outside the wire? It is something that should not be happening.

If he was part of a patrol, why the hell did the other men in his unit not stop him? Under rules of engagement you are allowed to use deadly force to prevent the loss of human life, any soldier who observed this action was not only within his rights but obligated to prevent this, by shooting the perpetrator if necessary.

I do not think he was out on any specific approved mission since the article states he handed himself in after the attack, which makes me wonder what the hell the guys in the sanger where doing by letting him leave camp alone.

It is truly a despicable act one that harms NATO both in theatre and back home.


I am not knowledgeable about law and was wondering if someone could help me out here. Do war crimes carry a harsher sentence than a similar act carried out in a civilian setting.

For example if a soldier was to commit theft in a theatre of operations and be caught and convicted would the sentence be harsher than if he was to steal something and be caught and convicted back home?

I personally believe soldiers who commit crimes in operational theartres deserve severe punishment, their actions already crimes carry the consequence of risking the lives of their comrades and **** over any advances made in the way of peace and good relations with the locals and the local national forces.

I feel any crime committed in an operational theatre should have a war crime tag attached to it qualifying the accused for a harsher sentence, i don't know if this is already the case, but i feel it should be.



Some might mention that this individual was clearly disturbed, perhaps suffering stress or PTSD, then where the was the suppourt within unit? Why did no one spot the signs? Combat stress symptoms should have been noticed by the men working and living closely with him, there should be a welfare system in place to have dealt with him. I know from personal experience that when someone shows signs of trauma, usually after a significant event, the best course of action is usually to take them off of the front line, return them to a main operating base where they can talk it out and be checked by professionals, if you suspect someone of suffering from combat stress its for their own and your own personal safety that you have an obligation to say something and see that they get help.


This whole thing seems like it could have been prevented at so many points before it got this far.
Original post by Iqbal007
I honestly don't think he has had a mental illness.................plus the different views of what is a mental breakdown...........cos he could have just been angry and gone off and started killing people. After the last civilian death case, USA have no justice system at all, all biased to their soldiers.


You 'honestly' don't have a clue if he has a mental illness or not.

Its somewhat irrelevant.
Civilians have died, and more will die when the violent rioting and protesting begins.
Thats the sad thing. More die from the rioting and protesting than ever die from the acts they protest against.
Reply 17
If he's found sane enough to be considered responsible for his actions, I think he should be turned over to Afghan courts for them to decide the punishment. The crimes were committed in their country, it's only fair. But I think the way this normally works is that he would be tried by a US military court.
Reply 18
Original post by Jamie
You 'honestly' don't have a clue if he has a mental illness or not.

Its somewhat irrelevant.
Civilians have died, and more will die when the violent rioting and protesting begins.
Thats the sad thing. More die from the rioting and protesting than ever die from the acts they protest against.


No one does, but i doubt it, buts that me.

These civilians will die as a result of this guy, because nothing is being properly done about it, these soldiers get away with crimes if they did as a civilian would get a long lengthy sentence while here they don't. The dying through violent protesting and rioting is wrong.
Original post by Psyk
If he's found sane enough to be considered responsible for his actions, I think he should be turned over to Afghan courts for them to decide the punishment. The crimes were committed in their country, it's only fair. But I think the way this normally works is that he would be tried by a US military court.


I'm not completely sure but if it's a military occupation and a war crime has been committed, he'd be tried in international courts I think? I know after the Holocaust for some reason Nazis were tried in Israel wtf?

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