US Marines Not To Be Charged in Afghan Deaths

[Viper5]

Marines accused in Afghan deaths won't be charged - CNN.com

Reaction?

[georgehu2007]

so the appropriate response to a car bomb attack is to shoot everyone around you who might pose a threat?
people can get away with anything in times of war

[Harrod200]

Surely the military should know how important PR is, especially over there. Even if they were to say "the soldiers are being court martialled" and then not release anything further or even not really bother, it would at least give some appeasement to the civilians, many of whom I have no dount will see the Taliban as a much friendlier force and more attractive organisation to assist.

[LtSoucy]

If there saving there own lives, there protecting the United States, and there protecting there friends then good job. They did there job and there alive because of it. The whole article never said they killed them, maybe the explosion of the bomb car caused there deaths.

people can get away with anything in times of war

Since when? Have you even seen how many soldiers all over the war are in jail because of there actions during times of war?

[georgehu2007]

well, soldiers these days can't get away with crimes without suffering the consequences, but if you look at the war crimes committed during WWII, you'll see that people did get away with horrendous atrocities.

[[R-CON]ZZEZ]

Its good for them that they won't be charged, I'd imagine that if there was an army trial[or whatever is the equivalent in the Marines] there would be allot more hesitation on opening fire on suspected enemies.

[DeltaFart]

Let's see what is it that the military trains people to do? Oh yes it's to instictively return fire toward a suspected enemy. What in god's name was the Army doing in apologizing for something not even under their area of command?
"Oh some of our Marines got ambushed and there was some collateral damage in the fire they returned? Oh we're so sorry"
And george, think about the scale the second world war was at when those crimes were commited...We've haven't even reached the amount of casualties Iraq and Afghanistan both compared to D-Day. dday had around 6000 american casualties, ine one day, iraq and afghanistan are only around 4.5 thousand, in 7 years. THat's pretty good all things considered.
WW2 spanned the globe, Iraq is in one country.
You got to put the two together and ask yourself if its a really fair argument when you compare the two

[Canadian4206]

Originally Posted by DeltaFart

Let's see what is it that the military trains people to do? Oh yes it's to instictively return fire toward a suspected enemy. What in god's name was the Army doing in apologizing for something not even under their area of command?
"Oh some of our Marines got ambushed and there was some collateral damage in the fire they returned? Oh we're so sorry"
And george, think about the scale the second world war was at when those crimes were commited...We've haven't even reached the amount of casualties Iraq and Afghanistan both compared to D-Day. dday had around 6000 american casualties, ine one day, iraq and afghanistan are only around 4.5 thousand, in 7 years. THat's pretty good all things considered.
WW2 spanned the globe, Iraq is in one country.
You got to put the two together and ask yourself if its a really fair argument when you compare the two

The Military may train them to do that, but they got Rules of Engangements and other war rules to keep them from doing so.

If you get ambushed, you don't just spray and pray the entire area at 'suspected' people. That's idiotic. I think they should take responsability for there actions. Also the apology is a good touch, even if the soldiers action were considered good. Why? Because he is saying sorry to all the familys and people who were involved in those who died, and got injured.

If you son, or brother, mother, father, sister or even a friend got killed by Afghan Troops, who let's say were doing some training ops in your country and they died due to accidental fire or whatever, for whatever reason. Would you want a apology? or would you rather the Afghan Military just say fuck off? You are never going to win the war when you keep pissing off the people of the country.

[Viper5]

Originally Posted by Canadian4206

The Military may train them to do that, but they got Rules of Engangements and other war rules to keep them from doing so.

If you get ambushed, you don't just spray and pray the entire area at 'suspected' people. That's idiotic. I think they should take responsability for there actions. Also the apology is a good touch, even if the soldiers action were considered good. Why? Because he is saying sorry to all the familys and people who were involved in those who died, and got injured.

If you son, or brother, mother, father, sister or even a friend got killed by Afghan Troops, who let's say were doing some training ops in your country and they died due to accidental fire or whatever, for whatever reason. Would you want a apology? or would you rather the Afghan Military just say fuck off? You are never going to win the war when you keep pissing off the people of the country.

According to the article and ultimately the opinion of the convening authority, they were following the RoE and not just spray and pray.

[Canadian4206]

Originally Posted by Viper5

According to the article and ultimately the opinion of the convening authority, they were following the RoE and not just spray and pray.

Actually, the article diddn't say it as a 'fact'. It was a U.S. Lt. General who said that who happens to be the commander of the U.S. Marine Forces.

"The Marines said Helland determined that the Marines in the convoy "acted appropriately and in accordance with the rules of engagement and tactics, techniques and procedures in place at the time in response to a complex attack."

Also this might be something you might want to read

"Citing witness accounts, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission concluded that the Marines fired indiscriminately at vehicles and pedestrians in six locations on a 10-mile stretch of road. Nearly a dozen Marines told the court they heard gunfire after the bombing and called the unit's fire a disciplined response to a well-planned ambush."

Also 50 people were injured and 19 were killed. I am sure the whole 69 of them were all Insurgents who at the time were carrying weapons or bombs to have made them a threat to the Marines. Then after they were killed and wounded, they picked themselves up and dispatched all there guns and bombs to hide the evidence of it.