US soldiers posed with the remains of Afghans.
As the start of a new controversy between the countries, two images published by the Los Angeles Times show graphic scenes recorded in 2010.
Thassio Borges _Opera Mundi - The troubled relationship between the United States and Afghanistan suffered a new setback this Wednesday (April 18th) with the release of photos showing American soldiers posing and laughing next to the bodies of Afghan suicide bombers. The images were published by the Los Angeles Times. The soldiers' attitude was criticized even by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
“The soldiers’ actions do not represent the policies of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan) or the U.S. Army,” said John Allen, ISAF’s operations manager. The photos were taken in 2010 and reached the Los Angeles Times through a soldier who requested anonymity.
The two images published by the newspaper show graphic scenes recorded in 2010. In the images, soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division pose and smile next to the bodies of Afghans who allegedly committed suicide with explosives.
One of the photos shows at least two American soldiers holding the legs of a suicide bomber who, according to Afghan police, detonated explosives to attack a nearby security post.
The other image shows a soldier laughing while, in the background, another combatant poses next to one of the dead. In both cases, US troops were informed about the attacks and went to the scene to collect the suicide bomber's fingerprints, a standard procedure according to the Los Angeles Times.
After completing their duties, however, the soldiers began taking photos next to the bodies, mocking the suicide bombers. The images were given to the newspaper after circulating through various US bases in Afghanistan.
The soldier responsible for sending the 18 images authorized the Los Angeles Times to publish the photos, but requested anonymity. According to the newspaper, the soldier decided to release the images to denounce the breakdown in command within the troops, who were allegedly acting irresponsibly and endangering the lives of other combatants.
The Army stated that it has opened an investigation to obtain more details about the case. "It is a violation of Army policy to pose for photos with corpses outside of official purposes," said George Wright, an Army spokesman. "These actions fall short of what we expect from our members," he concluded.
The newspaper sent a request to the Pentagon to contact the soldiers who appear in the photos and allow them to give their version of events. The request, however, was denied. Through Facebook, the newspaper contacted eight people involved in the controversy. Only one, who is still in Afghanistan, responded, but stated that he did not want to comment on the case.
The soldier who provided the photos to the publication stated that the combatants were euphoric about the suicide bombers' deaths, mainly because they had managed to accomplish their mission. "They were frustrated, very angry. So they celebrated when they saw the exploded bodies," said the soldier, who added that he hopes for more security at American bases located in Afghan territory.
NATO stated that it is rigorously investigating the case with US authorities. According to the organization, actions such as those shown in the photos do not align with NATO's strict policy "regarding the humane treatment of the enemy." Furthermore, such actions "undermine the work of the organization's military."
New controversy
The 18 photos, of which only two have been published, represent a new chapter in the troubled relationship between Afghanistan and US troops, who are scheduled to leave the country by 2014.
In January, a video on the internet showed American soldiers urinating on the corpses of Afghans killed in combat. The following month, Afghans found copies of the Quran, the holy book of Muslims, burned amidst the garbage at an American military base.
The incidents sparked outrage among the population, and during the protests, six US soldiers were killed. The most serious act, however, occurred in March when a US soldier went on a shooting spree in an Afghan village near his base, killing 17 people, including women and children.
The action sparked renewed outrage, this time from the Afghan government, which demanded an immediate response from the US against the soldier who committed the crimes. Despite this, the country declared it would only withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in 2014.