US-Afghani Relations Take a Turn For the Worse

[EyeKhan]

If you read between the lines, he was attached to the special ops teams.

So, even at a "normal" base, he's not going to get much resistance to the idea of leaving base, loaded for bear at unusual hours. That comes with being attached to a special ops team; that's the job. And of course, even in the general case, the gate guards allow personal to leave the base freely - their job is keeping unauthorized folks out, not keeping military personnel in. This is especially true on a FOB, where the base's whole raison d'etre is to provide a base from which you launch operations. And when it involves special ops, they particularly don't ask questions, because that's just a stupid thing to do on some many levels. The gate guard probably won't have clearance to hear the real answer, is probably specifically instructed NOT to log the comings and goings of special ops teams, doesn't want to piss off the operators, will look up to the operators, etc.

I get what you're saying and it makes total sense; the only thing that still seems off is he was alone. This wasn't a team going out to do something nobody should ask about, it was one guy. How often does that happen? Of course even if it never did before, who would challenge him this first time? Nobody, probably, for the reasons you said above.

[Khendraja'aro]

No US court would allow it; we don't extradite people to countries that torture. We also have an agreement in place with Afghanistan that puts all crimes committed by US servicemen within our jurisdiction (i.e. it would be illegal to give him up).

Yeah, but you kidnap foreigners and ship them to other countries, just so that you can torture them.

Not to mention that your country regularly tortures inside your borders, actually making the point moot.

http://ejp.icj.org/IMG/ACLUReportCAT.pdf

[Loki]

Thank you for that nice bit of propaganda. Next time you might even include some that's relevant to the point you respond to.

[Khendraja'aro]

Thank you for that nice bit of propaganda. Next time you might even include some that's relevant to the point you respond to.

Just taking a page out of your playbook, Mr. Student-Becomes-Heartsurgeon.

[Loki]

Except you responded to a factual piece of information with something that was not relevant to that fact. Thanks for admitting to being a troll.

[CitizenCain]

This wasn't a team going out to do something nobody should ask about, it was one guy. How often does that happen?

Often enough. Military special ops are all team-based, but that doesn't necessarily mean everything is done together. You might, for example, do some mission prep solo, given the perpetual shortage of operators. And then there are always intelligence-agency black ops missions: CIA, for example, likes to run missions with single operators, and most of CIA field operators are ex-special ops guys from the military. An FOB that runs military special ops would probably be tapped by intelligence agencies if they have missions nearby.

Yeah, but you kidnap foreigners and ship them to other countries, just so that you can torture them.

Not to mention that your country regularly tortures inside your borders, actually making the point moot.

http://ejp.icj.org/IMG/ACLUReportCAT.pdf

Hey, glasshouse... at least our government doesn't trade torture rooms for oil kickbacks.

[Khendraja'aro]

Hey, glasshouse... at least our government doesn't trade torture rooms for oil kickbacks.

I'm not the one stating that "our country does not do that."

Except you responded to a factual piece of information with something that was not relevant to that fact. Thanks for admitting to being a troll.

Not relevant? Your country does not explicitly forbid torture, it kidnaps people to torture them and the conditions in your prisons are laughable.
And you try to sell "we don't extradite to torture" as some bonus point? Spare us.

The way your prisons are managed, it doesn't really matter if you extradite people to, say, Israel.

[Omega]

Although Wikipedia is one of those sites I cursorily glance over when trying to make sense of concepts or researching topics.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._2007_2008.PNG

[Loki]

"The Army prosecuted 44 soldiers for murder or manslaughter of civilians in Iraq or Afghanistan from 2001 to 2011; 30 were convicted of some form of homicide, 6 were convicted of other offenses and 8 were acquitted"

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/us...engthy.html?hp

So much for your anti-American propaganda.

[CitizenCain]

And, the plot thickens...

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/afghan...3#.T2qVjxEge5I


In addition to Bales' alleged actions in Afghanistan, Ohio man Gary Liebschner and his wife have come forward claiming that years ago Bales defrauded them of everything when he worked as a broker for a local investment firm and then disappeared right around the time he joined the Army.

"My income is less than what's going out, so we're trying to make ends meet," Gary Liebschner told ABC News.

Liebschner took his case against Bales and his firm to Wall Street regulators in May 2000, and an independent arbitrator later found that Bales engaged in fraud, unauthorized trading and unsuitable investments.

In the midst of the pending case, Bales joined the Army and Liebschner said Bales could not be found after an arbitrator ordered him and his associates to pay more than $1.4 million.


Another sociopath joins the Army to evade the legal system... say it ain't so!

On the upside, though, even if he beats the murder raps, he's gonna get the book thrown at him for all that perjury and such, so the only time he'll see daylight in the next decade is when he being transported between the brig and the courtroom. It's something, at least.

[GGT]

And, the plot thickens...

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/afghan...3#.T2qVjxEge5I


In addition to Bales' alleged actions in Afghanistan, Ohio man Gary Liebschner and his wife have come forward claiming that years ago Bales defrauded them of everything when he worked as a broker for a local investment firm and then disappeared right around the time he joined the Army.

"My income is less than what's going out, so we're trying to make ends meet," Gary Liebschner told ABC News.

Liebschner took his case against Bales and his firm to Wall Street regulators in May 2000, and an independent arbitrator later found that Bales engaged in fraud, unauthorized trading and unsuitable investments.

In the midst of the pending case, Bales joined the Army and Liebschner said Bales could not be found after an arbitrator ordered him and his associates to pay more than $1.4 million.


Another sociopath joins the Army to evade the legal system... say it ain't so!

On the upside, though, even if he beats the murder raps, he's gonna get the book thrown at him for all that perjury and such, so the only time he'll see daylight in the next decade is when he being transported between the brig and the courtroom. It's something, at least.

Sounds like the "down side" of a voluntary military. Shouldn't we have some initial screening procedure to exclude economic sociopaths, or sociopaths, in the first place? Or are we so desperate to fuel a voluntary military that we're willing to be complicate in incompetency?

[CitizenCain]

Really, adjust the dosage, or ... something.