(3)Marines to investigate video
The US Marine Corps is attempting to authenticate and investigate the above video, purportedly showing Marine scout snipers urinating on Taliban corpses. The video has sparked condemnation from US and Afghan officials. The Associated Press reports:
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday condemned as "utterly deplorable" a video that purports to depict four U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters. He said such behavior is "entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military" and those responsible will be held accountable.Panetta said he had ordered the Marine Corps and Marine Gen. John Allen, the top commander of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, to fully investigate.
The Commandant of the US Marines Corp also released a statement announcing an investigation:
I want to be clear and unambiguous, the behavior depicted in the video is wholly inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and warrior ethos that we have demonstrated throughout our history. Accordingly, late yesterday I requested that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service pull together a team of their very best agents and immediately assign them responsibility to thoroughly investigate every aspect of the filmed event. Additionally, I am assigning a Marine General Officer and senior attorney, both with extensive combat experience, to head up an internal Preliminary Inquiry into the matter. Once the investigation and Preliminary Inquiry are complete and the facts have been determined, then the Marine Corps will take the appropriate next steps. Rest assured that the institution of the Marine Corps will not rest until the allegations and the events surrounding them have been resolved. We remain fully committed to upholding the Geneva Convention, the Laws of War, and our own core values."
READER COMMENTS: "Marines to investigate video"
Posted by wallbangr at January 12, 2012 5:42 PM ET:
This is a terribly bone-headed propaganda victory for the enemy. I know, these guys are probably young, frustrated by the asymetric fight and likely hadn't thought about the implications of this. But the service has to come down hard on these guys because this is not the kind of press we need to be getting. We may have abandoned COIN, but hearts and minds still count for something. Considering the things these men have likely seen, I can almost see how the dehuminization of war and the anger at losing friends to dastardly attacks might make one want to engage in savagery. But we have got to be the bigger people in this fight because the world is watching. This is just a black eye we don't need right now.
Posted by Shareef at January 14, 2012 3:04 PM ET:
These soldiers have lost the ability (if they ever had it) to distinguish between a good action and a bad action. The fact that many blog comments are actually supportive of these base acts speaks volumes about the moral status of of the average Joe.
Posted by danielbkennedy at January 16, 2012 10:11 PM ET:
Inappropriate, yes, but given the Taliban's treatment of living (not for long) prisoners, few of the people in my town would support such a massive mea culpa and witch hunt against young Marines. I fear high level military leaders are becoming so concerned with political correctness, as evidenced in the Army's Ft. Hood report, that they may tend to throw young soldiers under the bus to please the current administration.