Foreign Policy In Focus

John Stephenson for McClatchy reports that Afghan army chief Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, the chief Afghan investigator in the killing of 17 civilians with which U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has been charged, says "there's strong evidence that only one killer was involved, a view that puts him at odds with Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai."

A U.S. defense official said "such speculation was 'commonplace, especially in small villages and especially about something as horrific as an event like this.'" Referring to a relative of victims, Karzai said: "'In his family, in four rooms people were killed — children and women were killed — and then they were all brought together in one room and then set on fire. That, one man cannot do.'"

Gen. Karimi reiterated that. "And everybody said (to the president), 'Sir, it was not one person. ... How can one guy shoot people in four rooms, kill them, then lift them, bring them to one room and set them on fire?'"

But, if Bales acted alone, by returning to the base after the first round of shootings and heading out again for another, it's as if there were two shooters since it happened in two stages.* Or to put it another way, since it was two separate incidents, Bales is a serial killer.

In any event, failure to notice his exit not once but twice -- how often does an American soldier leave his base in Afghanistan in the middle of the night? -- makes the army complicit in the murders. From the soldiers on his base to the Pentagon to the president and everyone responsible for our Afghan policy, the killers were legion.

*Incidentally Marcy Wheeler of Empty Wheel speculates on a plausible explanation for Afghan suspicions of more than one shooter. (Thanks to Steve Hynd of the Agonist and Newshoggers for the link.)

… I’m suggesting that it’s possible Bales went first to Alkozai and in a spray of gunfire killed 4 or 5 and wounded at least 5 more, then returned to the base, told others what he had done, and more followed him in helicopters to Najiban. That would explain the larger number of men described by Dawood’s children, how 11 people in 4 rooms were killed in Wazir’s home, and also how Bales was able to drag all 11 bodies to one room and attempt to burn them (though the timing is still short, given that Najiban is at least a mile from the base and Bales was reportedly gone just an hour total on that second trip). 

On Friday March 23, 2012, Staff Sgt Robert Bales was charged with 17 counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of assault. This is a result of what Fox News has called “the worst allegation of killing of civilians by an American in Afghanistan.” On March 11, Bales allegedly had been drinking prior to attacking two villages near his base in the Afghan villages of Balandi and Alkozai, where he murdered nine children and seven adults. He was moved first from Afghanistan to Kuwait and is currently waiting trial at the military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The BBC says that Bales is seeking defense for "diminished capacity" because he doesn’t remember the crime, he had already completed three tours in Iraq, and had received brain and body injuries in previous tours. Prior to the rampage Bales had seen his friend’s leg blown off and was drinking. Other excuses cited by the Kansas City Star were that Bales had just been passed over for promotion, was experiencing stress with finances and in his marriage, and had been working at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, known for being “the most troubled base in the military.” These rationalizations could have major implications for the military administration.   

For example, Bales shouldn’t have been enlisted for a fourth tour if he was not physically and psychologically capable, which he is clearly arguing he was not.  On top of that he had been drinking which could have increased Bales’ memory loss and is against U.S. military orders. However, if the rampage were a symptom of PTSD, then the United States is not doing enough to offer the psychological support the troops need. Providing that support is crucial to the success of overseas operations. The Huffington Post argues that the United States had no choice but to stretch what knowledgeable military it had thinly. This is understandable, but it hardly seems worth it when considering the ramifications.

This incident fuels the social upheaval that has resulted from NATO and U.S. Army personnel accidentally burning several Qurans. The Taliban says Bales won’t get a fair or speedy trial. In fact the trial could be drawn out for years. They say Bales was not the only one involved in the incident. The Taliban thinks that the murders were premeditated and carried out by a group of individuals. Therefore, in their eyes the justice process is already flawed. The results of the rampage and following process are undermining U.S.-Afghan relations, Taliban peace talks are off, and Karzai has yet another reason to demand early withdrawal.

Arguably, Bales is not the only one who should be on trial right now. Military protocol and the psychological health of personnel should also be called into question.