20, December 2015 Abuses
by Navy Seals
According to a report by the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service (NCIS), three Navy SEALS dropped heavy stones on
detainees chests, stomped on their heads and poured bottles of water in
simulated water boarding. One detainee died from his injuries. Four U.S.
soldiers working with the SEALs witnessed the abuses and reported the matter to
their superior officers.
According to the report the four soldiers
recanted their earlier testimony and their names were redacted from the report.
However, the soldiers were tracked down and vigorously denied they recanted
their testimony which smacks of a cover-up.
Incredulously, the Seals were cleared of any
wrong doing and two of SEALSs implicated and their lieutenant have since been
promoted despite calls from one of the commanders calling for their dismissal.
Retired Rear Admiral Donald Guter, a former judge advocate general of the Navy
was highly critical of the cover-up.
Tragically, these gross abuses were not
isolated incidents but a systemic problem of unprofessional conduct. SEALs were
reported to have tossed grenades and fired at local tribesmen indiscriminately generating
a great deal of resentment between ordinary soldiers and the local population,
a serious setback for winning hearts and minds with the Afghan people.
Geoffrey Corn, a former military lawyer who
was the Army’s senior expert adviser on the law of war, warned that not taking
charges seriously damages ethical standards and morale and emboldens the enemy.
No comments:
Post a Comment