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Title: U.S. Probe of Koran Burning finds 5 Soldiers Responsible, Officials Say; Clerics Demand Trial
Source:
PatriotsofAmerica/WP
URL Source: http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/ ... soldiers-responsible-officials
Published: Mar 2, 2012
Author: Kevin Sieff
Post Date: 2012-03-02 21:54:59 by Murron
Keywords: None
Views: 3952
Comments: 8
The Washington Post took this story down, but not before 'patriots for america' lifted it. U.S. Probe of Koran Burning finds 5 Soldiers Responsible, Officials Say; Clerics Demand Trial PUL-E-ALAM, Afghanistan — Military investigators have concluded that five soldiers were involved in the incineration of a pile of Korans in Afghanistan last week, according to U.S. military officials who have been briefed on the inquiry. The burning of the Muslim holy books — which U.S. officials say was accidental — incited a week of protests that left 30 Afghans dead. The burnings also were cited as motivation for at least some of the six fatal attacks on U.S. soldiers that have occurred in Afghanistan in the last eight days. Afghan authorities said Sunday they have identified a suspect in the killing of two U.S. military advisers inside an Afghan ministry a day earlier and have launched a manhunt to track him down. (Feb. 26) Investigators appointed by Marine Gen. John R. Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, found that the soldiers removed the Korans from a prison located at Bagram air base after they were found to contain extremist messages. The books were then placed in an office for safekeeping, according to the inquiry. But they were mistaken for garbage and taken to a landfill on the base. Afghan employees identified the books as Korans just as their pages caught fire, a major desecration, according to Muslim teachings. The discovery led to a week of unprecedented tension between U.S. and Afghan military officials. U.S. military officials said that although the five soldiers will be reprimanded, it’s unlikely that their names will be released or that their punishment will approach the seriousness of what some Afghans are demanding, including trial in an Afghan court. “For the soldiers, it will be serious — they could lose rank. But you’re not going to see the kind of public trial that some here seem to want,” said one U.S. military official. Another military official said: “What they did was careless, but there was no ill will.” The much-discussed investigation was intended to quell unrest and prove to the Afghan public that U.S. officials were both apologetic and willing to make amends for wrongdoing. But U.S. military officials expressed concern that the investigation’s finding — which stops short of pinning blame on malevolent soldiers — might not satisfy Afghan leaders who have have publicly demanded harsh retribution. Senior Afghan clerics, in a statement issued after a meeting with President Hamid Karzai, said “this evil action cannot be forgiven by apologizing. The perpetrators of the mentioned crime should be put on a public trial as soon as possible.” The clerics reiterated calls for the U.S.-led NATO coalition to relinquish control of military prisons to the Afghan government. “This incident was caused due to the illegal management of the prison,” the clerics said, according to a translation of their statement provided by the U.S. military. The clerics said they “strongly urged for the suspension of all prisons and the transfer of all prisoners to the Afghan government so that in the future similar incidents do not happen.” NATO spokesman Col. Jimmie Cummings declined to comment on the findings of the military inquiry, saying it was “still going through the legal process.” A separate Afghan investigation, which is being conducted by parliamentarians and religious officials, is expected to conclude in the next several days. U.S. military officials worry that if the Afghan investigation clashes with their own findings, it could reinvigorate demonstrators whose anger has appeared to fade this week. “There’s a real concern there. We don’t know what the investigation will say, or how the public will react,” one official said. “But we know that there’s a real interest in trying guilty parties in an Afghan court, and that’s not something we’re prepared to do.” A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Gavin Sundwall, said American officials “certainly hope” that the release of Afghan report will not lead to more violence. A third investigative panel that includes both U.S. and Afghan officials also is expected to issue its findings soon. “We appreciated President Karzai’s repeated calls for dialogue and calm earlier and hope that people took them to heart,” Sundwall said. “. . . We believe that we will get through this unfortunate period, that a decade’s worth of relationships don’t go away in a single week.” When Afghan employees discovered the partially charred Korans at Bagram, they launched into a protest outside of Kabul that was followed by dozens more across the country. Afghan security forces and a civilian have killed six American soldiers in three different incidents since the Koran burnings became known, including two who were shot in the back of the head while working at their desks inside the fortified Interior Ministry. In response to that attack, Allen ordered Western advisers to temporarily evacuate Afghan ministries. Many of those advisers still have not returned to work. They are permitted to attend “mission essential” meetings with their Afghan counterparts, but only if they are escorted by an armed guard and wearing body armor. U.S. officials said better oversight could have prevented the Koran burning. Coalition soldiers across Afghanistan are now receiving training on how to properly handle religious materials — a lesson ordered by Allen. Much of the instruction has focused on the meaning and importance of the Koran in Muslim culture.
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#1. To: All (#0)
Our men and women serving under this sniveling coward in DC don't stand a chance, at the whim of these demented savages, they could lose everything they've earned. Six US Soldiers DEAD! What more will Obama give their killers? Obama: "I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible."
#2. To: Murron (#1)
Amazing how fast the STATE can get thru their investigations when their ass in a collective sling. ;} Too little and much too late. Home by XMas...A combo of Chosin Reservoir, Dien Bien Phu and Saigon 75 awaits if not.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest“For the soldiers, it will be serious — they could lose rank. But you’re not going to see the kind of public trial that some here seem to want,” said one U.S. military official.
Replies to Comment # 1. PUL-E-ALAM, Afghanistan — Military investigators have concluded that five soldiers were involved in the incineration of a pile of Korans in Afghanistan last week, according to U.S. military officials who have been briefed on the inquiry.
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