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Soldier faces 17 murder counts in Afghan killings
http://news.yahoo.com/army-sergeant-faces-17-murder-counts-afghan-killings-061309221.html
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accused of killing Afghan civilians in a shooting rampage in Kandahar province last week, will be charged with 17 counts of murder, a U.S. official said on Thursday.
Earlier accounts of the incident, which has damaged U.S.-Afghan relations, had tallied 16 victims, including nine children and three women.
Bales, a four-tour combat veteran, will also face other charges, including attempted murder, but the official was unable to say how many additional counts there would be.
Legal proceedings would likely take place at Bales' home base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, close to Tacoma, Washington, the U.S. official said.
Bales, 38, is being held in solitary confinement at a military detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas. His civilian defense attorney, Seattle-based John Henry Browne, was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier this week, Browne said U.S. authorities had no proof of what occurred on the evening in question, and that Bales had "no memory" of the incident.
Browne, who has defended several multiple homicide suspects, including serial killer Ted Bundy, has indicated that stress may have played a role in his client's state of mind.
He is expected to evoke post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as a factor in the trial, a technique he employed in the defense of a Seattle-area thief known as the "Barefoot Bandit." The U.S. Army said this week it was reviewing the way it diagnoses PTSD among troops.
Browne has said that Bales drank alcohol on the night of the shooting, but not enough to impair his judgment. He has denied that marital or financial problems may have negatively affected Bales, but he said his client was not happy at being sent on his fourth war-zone deployment after three tours of duty in Iraq, where he suffered two wounds.
Browne has played down the effect of Bales' financial problems, which include an abandoned property in the Seattle area and an unpaid $1.5 million judgment from his time as a securities broker.
Bales' wife, Karilyn, is being sheltered by the Army at Lewis-McChord.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accused of killing Afghan civilians in a shooting rampage in Kandahar province last week, will be charged with 17 counts of murder, a U.S. official said on Thursday.
Earlier accounts of the incident, which has damaged U.S.-Afghan relations, had tallied 16 victims, including nine children and three women.
Bales, a four-tour combat veteran, will also face other charges, including attempted murder, but the official was unable to say how many additional counts there would be.
Legal proceedings would likely take place at Bales' home base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, close to Tacoma, Washington, the U.S. official said.
Bales, 38, is being held in solitary confinement at a military detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas. His civilian defense attorney, Seattle-based John Henry Browne, was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier this week, Browne said U.S. authorities had no proof of what occurred on the evening in question, and that Bales had "no memory" of the incident.
Browne, who has defended several multiple homicide suspects, including serial killer Ted Bundy, has indicated that stress may have played a role in his client's state of mind.
He is expected to evoke post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as a factor in the trial, a technique he employed in the defense of a Seattle-area thief known as the "Barefoot Bandit." The U.S. Army said this week it was reviewing the way it diagnoses PTSD among troops.
Browne has said that Bales drank alcohol on the night of the shooting, but not enough to impair his judgment. He has denied that marital or financial problems may have negatively affected Bales, but he said his client was not happy at being sent on his fourth war-zone deployment after three tours of duty in Iraq, where he suffered two wounds.
Browne has played down the effect of Bales' financial problems, which include an abandoned property in the Seattle area and an unpaid $1.5 million judgment from his time as a securities broker.
Bales' wife, Karilyn, is being sheltered by the Army at Lewis-McChord.
Robert Bales Charged: Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
WASHINGTON -- Nine days after a U.S. soldier allegedly massacred 17 civilians in Afghanistan, a top-level Pentagon health official ordered a widespread, emergency review of the military’s use of a notorious anti-malaria drug called mefloquine.
Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has severe psychiatric side effects. Problems include psychotic behavior, paranoia and hallucinations. The drug has been implicated in numerous suicides and homicides, including deaths in the U.S. military. For years the military has used the weekly pill to help prevent malaria among deployed troops.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/robert-bales-malaria-drug_n_1378671.html
WASHINGTON -- Nine days after a U.S. soldier allegedly massacred 17 civilians in Afghanistan, a top-level Pentagon health official ordered a widespread, emergency review of the military’s use of a notorious anti-malaria drug called mefloquine.
Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has severe psychiatric side effects. Problems include psychotic behavior, paranoia and hallucinations. The drug has been implicated in numerous suicides and homicides, including deaths in the U.S. military. For years the military has used the weekly pill to help prevent malaria among deployed troops.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/robert-bales-malaria-drug_n_1378671.html
We just brought the last of our soliders home and I'm so glad. I too hope these wars end. So many dying and I just don't feel that it's necessary. I hope all your soldiers are home soon.
True, the impact of what these men are dealing with is horrible. So is the situation where we are told they are there to help the Afghani people who instead are frightened by our soldiers. I'm all for stopping these wars and putting the money spent to work in our country.
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/1-more-us-soldiers-committed-suicide-than-died-in-combat/
For the second year (2010) in a row, more US soldiers killed themselves (468) than died in combat (462).
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/1-more-us-soldiers-committed-suicide-than-died-in-combat/
For the second year (2010) in a row, more US soldiers killed themselves (468) than died in combat (462).
I didn't know that part. But I have been too busy to follow the news much lately.
I have to comment on the whole incident though. What happened is absolutely horrible and there is no denying that. But I did watch a news special on the whole underlying issue, and it seems that these soldiers have continuously been thrown back into "battle" and no one is making sure they are ok. I mean, you see enough death and the horrible things these soldiers see, and it's a wonder more haven't completely snapped. I'm not trying to excuse what happened, but I do hope that a thorough investigation is done to see what the impact is on these soldiers in terms of their mental health. I mean, the mind can only take so much. No wonder so many vets wind up homeless unable to take care of themselves, or turn to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. This whole thing is just so incredibly sad for all involved.
I have to comment on the whole incident though. What happened is absolutely horrible and there is no denying that. But I did watch a news special on the whole underlying issue, and it seems that these soldiers have continuously been thrown back into "battle" and no one is making sure they are ok. I mean, you see enough death and the horrible things these soldiers see, and it's a wonder more haven't completely snapped. I'm not trying to excuse what happened, but I do hope that a thorough investigation is done to see what the impact is on these soldiers in terms of their mental health. I mean, the mind can only take so much. No wonder so many vets wind up homeless unable to take care of themselves, or turn to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. This whole thing is just so incredibly sad for all involved.
Afghani witnesses of the massacre say there was more than one perpetrator.
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