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The War
Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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The Nangahar Massacre |
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Background - Nangahar Province,
March 4th, 2007 “A U.S. Marine unit broke international humanitarian law by using excessive
force during a shooting spree last month that left 12 people dead, an Afghan
human rights group said in a report Saturday. The troops fired
indiscriminately at pedestrians, people in cars, public buses and taxis in
six different locations along a 10-mile stretch of road in Nangahar province
after an explosives-rigged minivan crashed into their convoy on March 4, […]
Six people were killed near the blast site, while the other six died on the
road as the troops sped away, said Ahmad Nader Nadery, the group's spokesman.
The dead included a 1-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl and three women, the
report said. Thirty-five people were wounded in the shootings. […]” Excerpt of an Associated Press article from April 15th,
2007. |
Afghan men carry a dead victim |
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May 23rd, 2008 - Marines ‘Acted
Appropriately’ in Deadly Afghanistan Ambush 3 news articles by Agence France
Presse, Associated Press & Los Angeles Times October 23rd, 2007 - Tribunal to Investigate
Officers’ Roles in Deaths 1 news article by the Associated
Press May 23rd, 2007 - Marines who Killed
Civilians were Attacked 1 news article by The
Examiner May 20th, 2007 - Civilian Casualties Hurt
Mission in Afghanistan 1 news article by
Allentown Morning Call May 18th, 2007 - Commandant: Marines Must
Focus on Values 1 news article by the
Associated Press May 12th, 2007 - Afghans Growing Irate
Over Casualties 1 news article by the
Washington Post May 9th, 2007 - 69 Afghans’ Families Get
a U.S. Apology 1 news article by the
Washington Post April 27th, 2007 - Criminal Charges Are
Expected Against Marines, Official Says 2 news articles by the New York
Times & Associated Press April 20th, 2007 - Killings of Afghan
Civilians Recall Haditha 1 news article by the New York
Times April 15th, 2007 - Marines Killed Civilians,
U.S. Says 1 news article by the Washington
Post April 15th, 2007 - Marines’ Actions in
Afghanistan Called Excessive 1 news article by the New York
Times April 15th, 2007 - Marine Shooting in
Afghanistan Decried 1 news article by the Associated
Press April 14th, 2007 - Excessive Force By Marines
Alleged 1 news article by the Washington
Post March 24th, 2007 - U.S. Military Opens Inquiry
Into Whether Marines Killed 10 Afghans 1 news article by the New York
Times March 5th, 2007 - 16 Civilians Die as U.S.
Troops Fire on Afghan Road 1 news article by the New York
Times |
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May 12th, 2007 - Coalition delivers
‘solatia’ payments to Nangarhar families Report by Combined Joint Task Force
- 82 April 14th, 2007 - Use of Indiscriminate
and Excessive Force against Civilians by US Forces Report by the
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission “[…] On 4 March 2007 a convoy of US Marine Corps Special Forces
vehicles traveling on the road from Torkham to Jalalabad in Nangahar province
was attacked with a vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). The
driver of the VBIED vehicle was killed instantly and at least one Marine
suffered shrapnel injuries. “US forces claim that the suicide attack was part of a complex ambush
and that the convoy came under small arms fire immediately after the
explosion of the VBIED. There is some evidence at the immediate site of the
incident supporting this claim, but it is far from conclusive and all
witnesses and Afghan government officials interviewed uniformly denied that
any attack beyond the initial VBIED took place. “Following the attack US forces repeatedly used force, shooting at
vehicles and pedestrians at the immediate sight of the VBIED attack as well
as in several different locations along the next 16 kilometers of the road.
In total, at least 12 people were killed and another 35 injured by the shooting,
including several women and children (see Annex 1 for a list of confirmed
victims). “The AIHRC investigation of the incident found that the large
majority, if not all of the victims were civilians. While the AIHRC condemns
the suicide attack, the level of force utilized by US forces in consequence
was almost certainly excessive and disproportionate to any threat faced or
military advantage anticipated. In failing to distinguish between civilians
and legitimate military targets the US Marine Corps Special Forces employed
indiscriminate force. Their actions thus constitute a serious violation of
international humanitarian law standards. “In the aftermaths of the attack several journalists were hindered
from accessing the site and some were expressly threatened and forced to
delete all pictures and videos they had taken. This obstructed the ability of
the media to seek, receive and impart information about the incident and so
constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of expression. […]” |
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The Aftermath of the Killings |
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A bullet-riddled car |
Afghan man, who lost his wife |
Follow-up protest |
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Background 1) Afghan men carry the body of a civilian who, they said, allegedly was
killed by American soldiers after a car bomber attacked an American convoy in
Barikaw in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. - March 4th,
2007 - Rahmat Gul/Associated Press; The Aftermath of the Killings 1) Villagers peered
into the car of a man named Lewanai, which was hit by at least 250 bullets
when American marines reacted to a suicide attack. - March 2007 - Aaron
Huey/Atlaspress for The New York Times; 2) Gharghashta, left,
and his son Tira Gul, whose wife was killed by marines. - March 2007 - Aaron
Huey/Atlaspress for The New York Times; 3) Afghan students
protest two days after U.S. Marines shot civilians in the aftermath of a
suicide attack. - March 6th, 2007 - Rahmat Gul/Associated Press; |
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Back to U.S.
Department of Defense |
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