DOD US Military Casualties in Afghanistan as of 01 Jun 2012

 "The war in Afghanistan, as we know it, is over."  Those were the words of President Obama after the NATO summit last month.  Yet another 12 U.S. soldiers have been killed in action (KIA) and three died of presumably accidents, while at least 120 were wounded in action (WIA).  At least two UK soldiers and one other NATO soldier were also killed.

The relationship with Pakistan couldn't be worse after the arrest of Shakeel Afridi  on May 24th and sentencing to 33 years in jail under Pakistan's archaic system of tribal justice.  Publicly the United States has not placed much pressure on Pakistan other than Congress punishing Pakistan with a $33 Million cut to aid.  The punishment is a drop in the bucket.

The US continues with drone attacks into Pakistan, with everyone killed called a militant.  With the election campaign in the US in full swing, the media has concentrated on the trivial, like the so-called war on women by the GOP, Bain Capital performance to discredit Mitt Romney, who is now officially the GOP nominee to challenge President Obama.  Afghanistan, after the NATO summit in Chicago is off the radar again. 

Yesterday's job figures were again dismal, with only 69,000 jobs created, while 150,000 were expected.  The unemployment figure rose to 8.2%.  Many of those unemployed are veterans.  While last weekend, Memorial weekend, paid homage to those killed in America's wars, the reality is that they are out of sight and mind for the remainder of the year.

The situation in Syria has reached a critical point, with little agreement in the UN on how to deal with it.  Russia and China are at odds with Western powers on how to deal with the Assad regime.  Iran continues to be a thorn in the eye of the United States, with little chance of reaching an agreement to stop Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

France will have its combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, Australia will leave a year earlier, while Canada will not make any further commitments past March 2014.  The ten year war has been costly.  Whether or not the Karzai government can take over responsibility of Afghanistan remains to be seen.

While the war in Afghanistan, as we know it, is over, let's remember that it is not over for the thousands of NATO soldiers serving in the war torn nation.  Even one more dead soldier or civilian is too many.  Take a moment this week and remember that young soldiers are still dieing.  Lest We Forget.

Roll of Casualties

Below are this week’s updated DoD casualty figures:

Op Enduring Freedom                  Total Deaths       KIA   Non Hostile              WIA

Afghanistan Only                                   1872               1552        320                     16144
Other Locations                                        112                   12        100
 DoD Civ Casualties                                     3                     1            2
Worldwide Total                                     1987                1565        422                    16144

Accumulated 2012 Casualties:

KIA            Non Combat Deaths             WIA

 100                           52                               916

Photos of Troops Posing with Dead Afghans - Was the Publication Irresponsible?

The LA Times, which received 18 pictures of soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division posing with dead bodies of the Taliban, published two.  The two pictures released depict two separate occasions, where this apparently occurred.  Was this part of the journalistic duty of the LA Times or was it irresponsible?

The editor of the LA Times, Davan Maharaj,was warned by the Pentagon that publishing the photos could put US troops in danger.   Despite the warning, Maharaj and the newspaper decided to use the graphic images, stating that it was part of fulfilling its mission of informing readers about the US military effort in Afghanistan.

The US military has come under criticism in Afghanistan for a video and pictures published in January showing Marines urinating on dead Taliban, the burning of the Koran at Bagram airbase, and the massacre of 17 Afghans by Staff Sergeant Bales during a rampage in Kandahar province.  Add to that the killing of civilians during night raids and you have the perfect storm for the Taliban.

General Allen, U.S. military commander in Afghanistan called the behaviour entirely inconsistent with the values of the American-led coalition, while in Kabul US ambassador Ryan Crocker called the actions of those involved "morally repugnant." 

A Pentagon spokesman said that the Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, "strongly rejects" the conduct of the 82nd Airborne Division soldiers who featured in the photos.

"Anyone found responsible for this inhuman conduct will be held accountable in accordance with our military justice system," he said.

The US military has pledged that there would be an investigation but expressed disappointment that the LA Times had published the pictures.

Leon Panetta, who is attending a NATO ministers conference in Brussels, said that he strongly condemns the actions of the soldiers, but portrayed them as immature reactions to battlefield stress.

“This is war, and I know war is ugly and is violent,” Panetta said. “I know young people sometimes caught up in the moment make some very foolish decisions.”
“I am not excusing that behavior,” he added
The war in Afghanistan is in a  critical phase.  The Taliban has been emboldened with events that have occurred lately and can use these latest pictures as a propaganda tool, demonstrating to the public that U.S. troops are not there to help them.   Fueling the fire only puts the lives of  the remaining U.S. and NATO troops in danger.

Are the pictures repugnant?  Of course they are.  Recent events also indicate that there is some sort of disciplinary breakdown within the military, which almost seems like deja vous and Vietnam all over again.   There needs to be an examination of what stress these multiple tour put on troops.  These incidents are a symptom of a bigger problem.

The Pentagon and the Administration should have been made aware of this incident to ensue it deals with it.  As far as the pictures go "Discretion is the better part of valour."  While the LA Times could have monitored Pentagon actions, it should have held back with the publication of these pictures.