The Los Angeles Times released a set of photos that appear to show U.S. troops in Afghanistan posing with the remains of suicide bombers. An American soldier released the photos to the LA Times “on the condition of anonymity.” Click below to read the rest of the story.
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen ‘strongly condemned’ the photos. In a statement, ISAF clarified that the incident took place in 2010 and “represents a serious error in judgment by several soldiers who have acted out of ignorance and unfamiliarity with U.S. Army values.”
According to NBC News, the Pentagon press secretary said Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta ‘strongly rejects the conduct’ of the soldiers depicted in the photos. Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman declined to comment.
The anonymous soldier who released the photos to the LA Times reportedly told the paper that he released the photos to highlight security shortcomings at U.S. bases in Afghanistan. “He said the photos point to a breakdown in leadership and discipline that he believed compromised the safety of the troops,” the LA Times reported.
The released images are the latest in a series of scandals involving U.S. forces that have put pressure on the United States’ already-strained relations with Afghanistan.
In January, a video of U.S. Marines urinating on dead bodies of Taliban members sparked outrage. The burning of Qurans at a NATO airbase in February spurred week-long riots that killed dozens. In March, a U.S. army sergeant allegedly massacred 17 civilians in Afghanistan.
Last weekend, insurgents launched a coordinated attack on the capital Kabul as well as attacks in Nangarhar, Logar, and Paktia provinces.
