A CIA Agent Accussed Of War Crimes Wants The Agency To Complete It's INvestigation

Undercover CIA Agent Sues Agency Over Stalled Probe Of Alleged War Crimes -- The Guardian

Undercover officer accused of war crimes by the CIA says agency halted an investigation that could have exonerated him.

A senior undercover CIA officer, accused by the spy agency of "war crimes", has alleged that it halted an internal investigation that could have exonerated him and placed him under surveillance instead.

The lawsuit, which comes as US intelligence is reeling from controversy over its surveillance of Americans' communications records, is expected to be filed Friday in a Washington federal court by longtime intelligence attorney Mark Zaid.

It does not name the operative. Nor does it list the crimes that the officer, who is said to still be a serving official, is alleged to have committed. The officer wants the CIA's inspector general to finish investigating – if only to be exonerated.

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My Comment: What war crimes were committed? Where? Who is the agent? Who are his accomplices? A lot of questions .... no answers.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales Pleads Guilty to Afghan Massacre

Army Sergeant Admits To 'Horrible' Afghan Rampage -- CNN

(CNN) -- Count by count, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales on Wednesday admitted to gunning down 16 civilians in a 2012 rampage through two villages near his outpost in southern Afghanistan.

Bales pleaded guilty to more than 30 criminal charges, including 16 premeditated murder counts, in a hearing before a military judge. He admitted to slipping away from his outpost in southern Afghanistan and going on a house-to-house killing spree in two nearby villages in March 2012, a massacre that further strained ties between American troops and their Afghan allies.

The move spares the 39-year-old Bales the prospect of a death sentence in the killings. But he was unable to offer the judge, Col. Jeffery Nance, an explanation for his actions.

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More News On Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' Guilty Plea Being Accepted

'Not a good reason': Sgt. Robert Bales admits to Afghan massacre -- NBC
Sgt. Robert Bales Says There Is 'Not a Good Reason' For Afghan Massacre -- ABC News
Judge accepts soldier's guilty plea in Afghan massacre -- USA Today
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' guilty pleas accepted in Afghanistan massacre -- CBS/AP
Staff Sgt Robert Bales admits Afghan massacre -- BBC
US Soldier Pleads Guilty to Afghan Massacre -- Voice of America
'I decided to murder anyone I saw': U.S. Army sergeant admits slaughtering 16 Afghan villagers in plea deal to escape the death penalty -- Daily Mail
Guilty Plea By Sergeant In Killing Of Civilians -- New York Times
Robert Bales tells how he killed 16 Afghans -- The Australian/AP
Sgt. Robert Bales describes killing 16 Afghans -- CBS

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales To Admit Afghanistan Massacre

Lawyer: Soldier To Admit Afghanistan Massacre -- USA Today

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, charged with killing 16 Afghan villagers after a night of drinking and drugs on his fourth combat deployment, intends to plead guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has agreed to plead guilty to the 2012 slaying of 16 Afghanistan civilians in a deal to avoid the death penalty, his lawyers said Wednesday.

Attorney Emma Scanlan told USA TODAY in an e-mail that Bales "will be entering a plea of guilty to the charges'' at a hearing June 5 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

"He is ready to accept responsibility for what he has done,'' she said. "The plea has been accepted by the commanding general.''

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More News On Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales Preparing To Admit To Afghan Massacre

U.S. soldier charged in Afghan massacre set to plead guilty -- CBC/AP
U.S. soldier accused of killing Afghans reaches deal to avoid execution : lawyer -- Reuters
Army staff sergeant charged with murdering 16 Afghan villagers will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty -- Daily Mail
US soldier to plead guilty to Afghan massacre -- Al Jazeera
Soldier Is Expected to Plead Guilty in Afghan Massacre -- New York Times
Afghan attacks soldier Robert Bales to plead guilty -- BBC
Army staff sergeant to plead guilty to killing Afghan civilians -- McClatchy News
Lawyer: Soldier to plead guilty in killing of 16 Afghan villagers -- CNN
US Army sergeant behind Afghanistan atrocity makes bid to avoid execution -- RT
Despite rampage, Afghan village supports U.S. presence -- CBS

UN Rights Inquiry Reports That War Crimes Spiraling In Syria

Member of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria Carla del Ponte listens during a news conference at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, February 18, 2013. VOA

UN: Both Sides Committing War Crimes In Syria -- Al Jazeera

Independent team urges Security Council to act urgently "to ensure accountability for grave violations" during conflict.

Syrians in "leadership positions" who may be responsible for war crimes have been identified, along with units accused of perpetrating them, UN investigators say.

Both government forces and armed rebels are committing war crimes, including killings and torture, spreading terror among civilians in a nearly two-year-old conflict, they said on Monday.

The investigators' latest report, covering the six months to mid-January, was based on 445 interviews conducted abroad with victims and witnesses, as they have not been allowed into Syria.

The independent team, led by Brazilian Paulo Pinheiro, called on the UN Security Council to "act urgently to ensure accountability" for grave violations, possibly by referring the violators to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution.

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More News On The UN Reporting That Both Sides Are Committing War Crimes In Syria

UN official: 'time has come' to refer Syrian war crimes to ICC – live coverage -- The Guardian
Time to refer Syrian war crimes to ICC, UN inquiry says -- Reuters
U.N. Rights Panel on Syria Urges War Crimes Charges -- New York Times
UN Report Criticizes Syrian Government, Rebels -- Voice of America
UN Rights Inquiry Alleges Syrian War Crimes -- Voice of America
War crimes spiraling in Syria, UN warns -- Global Post/AFP
U.N. report: Syrian violence escalating -- UPI
U.N. lists Syria war crime suspects in ‘leadership positions’ -- Al Arabiya News
Del Ponte Calls For International Criminal Court To Probe Syrian Conflict -- Radio Free Europe
UN panel: Syria civil war more sectarian, radical -- Miami Herald/AP

My Comment: All that one needs to do is go to You Tube and list all the videos that have been uploaded in the past two years that clearly reveal war crimes being committed. Trust me on this one .... the list is very very long.

More Evidence Of War Crimes In Syria (Graphic Video)

Syrian Rebel Films Himself Shooting 10 Prisoners -- Reuters

Nov 30 (Reuters) - New footage posted on the Internet appears to have been filmed by a Syrian rebel who points the camera along the barrel of his gun as he shoots 10 unarmed prisoners.

The video, posted on YouTube on Thursday, shows 10 men wearing t-shirts and camouflage trousers lying face down next to a building and a lookout tower. Even before the shooting, two of the men are not moving and one has blood coming from his torso.

"I swear to God that we are peaceful," begs one of the men to the camera, which is being held by the gunman. Cowering, the man gets up to plead with rebels. As he approaches a rebel off-screen, a shot is heard and he returns holding his bloodied arm.

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My Comment: Once in a while these videos come out of Syria, but I suspect that such incidences are now happening everyday.

Hearing Begins For U.S. Soldier Accused Of Killing 16 Afghan Villagers

American authorities have charged Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, left, with 16 murders. Photograph: Reuters

Hearing Begins For U.S. Soldier Charged In Deadly Afghanistan Spree -- CNN

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (CNN) -- The American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a shooting rampage is sitting in a military courtroom for the next week or more, hearing the evidence against him.

The Article 32 hearing began Monday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state to determine if a trial is warranted for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who could get the death penalty if convicted.

The deadly shooting spree near a small U.S. base in Afghanistan's Kandahar province last March strained already tense U.S.-Afghan relations and intensified a debate about whether to pull out American troops ahead of their planned 2014 withdrawal.

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More News On The Hearings For U.S. Soldier Charged In Deadly Afghanistan Spree

Prosecutor: US soldier had blood of victims on him -- Seattle PI/AP
Hearing begins for US soldier accused of killing 16 in Afghan villages -- FOX News/AP
Hearing for U.S. soldier accused of Afghan rampage set to begin -- Reuters
US soldier Robert Bales in court over Afghan massacre -- BBC
Pretrial hearing in Afghan massacre to begin Monday -- Seattle Times
Prosecutors in Afghanistan massacre case face tough challenge -- L.A. Times
Wife of Sgt. Robert Bales, Accused of Afghanistan Massacre, Says 'My Husband Did Not Do This': ABC News Exclusive -- ABC News
Wife of Army sergeant accused of Afghan massacre proclaims his innocence -- New York Daily News
Afghan ghost village 'haunted by US soldier's rampage' -- AFP

Did Sgt. Bales Act Alone When He Massacred 16 Civilians In Kandahar?

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 1st platoon sergeant, Blackhorse Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, in 2011. (Spc. Ryan Hallock, 28th Public Affairs/U.S. Army)

Did Accused Kandahar Killer Sgt. Bales Act Alone? -- Daily Beast

At around 3 a.m. on March 11, if the United States government is to be believed, a hero turned into a monster. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, a family man and decorated soldier thrice awarded the Army medal for good conduct, slipped out of his military base in southern Afghanistan and, for reasons unknown, began firing indiscriminately from house to house as he carved a path of mayhem through two villages. By the time he stopped shooting, 16 civilians—mostly women and children—were dead; the bodies were then burned. He had been drinking, the government maintains, and taking drugs. If convicted, he will stand alongside Lt. William Calley as one of the worst perpetrators of American military atrocities in modern times.

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Update: Hearing set for Afghan slayings suspect Bales after lengthy wait -- The Olympian

My Comment: This case is going to be closely watched .... both here and in Afghanistan. I am not surprised that it has taken this long to go to trial .... it would also not surprise me if a verdict will be stretched out until U.S. combat troops are out of Afghanistan in 2014. As to what is my take on this case .... I cannot help but feel for the families that have been directly impacted by this massacre .... the Afghan families who lost loved ones, and in Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' family back home.

1,000 British Troops Are Expected To Be Investigated For War Crimes In Iraq

The main allegations centre on the killing of Baha Mousa, an Iraqi hotel worker who died in 2003 while in British custody Photo: REUTERS

Hundreds Of British Troops To Be Questioned Over 'Weak' War Crime Allegations -- The Telegraph

Up to 1,000 British troops are expected to be investigated for crimes allegedly committed during the Iraq war, it can be revealed.

Investigators with the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) have already identified more than 100 serving and former members of the armed forces who they want to interview about the alleged torture of Iraqi civilians.

But the number under investigation is expected to rise rapidly over the next 12 months as IHAT detectives begin reviewing the evidence from two public inquiries into alleged war crimes.

One, the al-Sweady Inquiry into the so-called Battle of Danny Boy in 2004, has already identified more than 500 troops who will have to give evidence and who will also be interviewed by IHAT.

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My Comment: Lawyers running amok?

Charles Taylor Convicted Of War Crimes In Sierra Leone

Court Finds Charles Taylor Guilty Of Aiding War Crimes -- CNN

(CNN) -- In a landmark ruling, an international tribunal found former Liberian President Charles Taylor guilty Thursday of aiding and abetting war crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone.

It was the first war crimes conviction of a former head of state by an international court since the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders after World War II.

Prosecutors, however, failed to prove that Taylor had direct command over the rebels who committed the atrocities, said Justice Richard Lussick of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

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More News On The Conviction Of Charles Taylor For War Crimes

LIVE: Charles Taylor war crimes trial verdict -- BBC
Charles Taylor: lay preacher and feared warlord -- AFP
Charles Taylor convicted of war crimes in Sierra Leone -- The Telegraph
Liberia: Charles Taylor Convicted On All 11 Counts - Sentencing Scheduled for 30 May -- AllAfrica
Charles Taylor convicted of war crimes -- The Australian
Charles Taylor: former child soldiers 'delight' in conviction -- The Telegraph
Cheers, quiet relief in S. Leone as Taylor found guilty -- AFP
Liberians and Sierra Leoneans react to Taylor verdict -- BBC
Taylor's victims, critics soothed by court conviction -- Reuters
Charles Taylor commentary: conviction brings brutal era of impunity to an end -- David Blair, The Telegraph
Taylor verdict: Implications for international justice -- Jon Silverman, BBC
Global Justice: A Step Forward with the Conviction of Charles Taylor and Blood Diamonds -- Alex Perry, Time

Afghan Massacre Suspect Sgt. Bales To Be Charged With 17 Counts Of Murder

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

U.S. Official: Bales To Be Charged With 17 Counts Of Murder -- CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder and six counts of assault and attempted murder related to a March 11 shooting spree in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday.

The charges are expected to be announced Friday. The official could not explain why the count is now 17, when 16 have been reported killed in the incident.

Bales' lawyer, John Henry Browne, told CNN that he did not respond to leaks and that he would not comment before seeing the charges against his client.

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More News On Afghan Massacre Suspect Sgt. Bales To Be Charged With 17 Counts Of Murder

U.S. Sergeant Faces 17 Counts of Murder in Afghan Killings -- New York Times
US soldier Robert Bales to face 17 murder charges over massacre in Afghan village -- The Australian/AP
Army sergeant faces 17 murder counts in Afghan killings -- Reuters
Bales Said to Face 17 Counts of Murder in Afghan Killings -- Bloomberg
Robert Bales to face murder charges over Afghan massacre -- BBC
Robert Bales charged with murder in Afghanistan massacre -- Christian Science Monitor
Robert Bales to be charged with 17 counts of murder -- The Guardian
US soldier to be charged with 17 Afghan murders -- AFP
Robert Bales to be charged with murder in Afghan killings -- Politico
Bales Charged with 17 Counts of Murder in Afghan Massacre -- National Journal
Death penalty for Staff Sgt. Bales? Not likely -- Miami Herald/AP
Charges in Afghan Shooting Will Be Start of Long Legal Journey -- National Journal

Congolese Warlord Convicted By The ICC Of Using Child Soldiers

Court Convicts Former Congolese Warlord Of Using Child Soldiers -- L.A. Times

REPORTING FROM JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- The International Criminal Court in the Hague on Wednesday found former Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga guilty of using children as soldiers, the first verdict in the panel's 10-year history. He could face life imprisonment.

After a three-year trial, the court convicted Lubanga of recruiting boys and girls as soldiers during a civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002 and 2003.

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More News On The Conviction Of Congo Warlord Thomas Lubanga

Congo warlord convicted of using child soldiers -- FOX News/AP
Congo warlord Thomas Lubanga convicted of using child soldiers -- The Guardian
DR Congo's Lubanga found guilty by ICC -- Al Jazeera
Congolese Warlord Thomas Lubanga Convicted Of Using Child Soldiers -- RTT News
ICC Verdict Finds Lubanga Guilty of Using Child Soldiers -- Voice of America
ICC finds Congolese warlord guilty in its first verdict -- CNN
ICC Shows Teeth for First Time with Lubanga Ruling -- Voice of America
US calls Congolese warlord's conviction 'historic' -- AFP
Historic verdict condemns warlord, but Hague court limited -- Reuters
Lubanga judgment marks milestone in the path towards accountability -- The Guardian
Delay in Lubanga judgment demonstrates ICC weaknesses -- Joshua Rozenberg, The Guardian
Thomas Lubanga conviction: why did it take so long? -- Owen Bowcott, The Guardian
Warlords beyond Lubanga and Kony -- Sharanjeet Parmar, Special to CNN
Ten years, $900m, one verdict: Does the ICC cost too much? -- Jon Silverman, BBC

A War Court Website For The Pentagon

Pentagon Launches War Court Website -- McClatchy News

The Pentagon on Wednesday morning went live with a new, slicker interactive military commissions website — with no new information — ahead of a decision from a senior Defense Department official on whether to go forward with the first death penalty war crimes prosecution of the Obama administration.

Defense sources said retired Vice Adm. Bruce MacDonald was still deciding how to go forward in the case of Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, 46, a former Saudi millionaire accused of masterminding Al Qaida’s suicide bombing of a Navy destroyer off the coast of Yemen two decades ago.


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My Comment: It's about time .... and also a good indication that the military is getting ready for the PR war when these military commissions start prosecuting these "alleged" terrorists.

War Crimes In South Sudan?

UN Reports Possible War Crimes in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan -- Voice of America

The U.N. human rights office is calling for an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Sudan's Southern Kordofan state.



The office said Monday it has received reports of indiscriminate killings, widespread looting, and massive civilian displacement in the state, where forces allied to what were then northern and southern Sudan clashed during June.



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More News On UN Reports Possible War Crimes South Sudan

UN urges probe into alleged Sudan war crimes -- AP

United Natons Calls for Probe Into Possible War Crimes in Sudanese State -- Bloomberg

Sudan Accused of Chemical Attacks on Civilians -- Global Security Newswire

UN urges inquiry into alleged war crimes in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan state -- UN News Centre

U.N. finds evidence of war crimes in Sudan -- UPI

UN: Sudan atrocities amount to 'war crimes' -- Al Jazeera

UN report on South Kordofan 'biased', says Sudan -- AFP

Should Famine Be A 'Crime Against Humanity'

Somalia Famine 'Crime Against Humanity'? -- Jens David Ohlin, CNN

(CNN) -- Somalia is known to most Americans as the setting for the book and film "Black Hawk Down" and as the world center for modern-day pirates. It is the poster child for failed humanitarian interventions and for good intentions gone wrong.



But none of that should blind Americans to the horrific humanitarian crisis developing in Somalia, a growing famine that threatens to kill hundreds of thousands of people if they do not receive help from the international community.



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My Comment: So .... Jens Daid Ohlin believes that by sending in the lawyers and judges under the supervision of the International Criminal Court will make a difference .... sighhhh .... I would love to believe that this is true, but I doubt that Al-Shabaab and other Islamic insurgent groups would care what a court in the Hague thinks about them and/or what they are doing.



As to classifying famine as a "crime against humanity" .... I say definitely, but without any enforcement teeth and/or cooperation among the players in a region like Somalia .... there is very little if anything that we can do to bring those who commit such crimes to justice.

Khmer Rouge Commanders Face War Crimes Trial

Landmark UN Tribunal Opens in Cambodia -- Voice of America

A United Nations-backed court in Cambodia has started a landmark trial of four senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge, the communist extremists whose bloody 1970s revolution killed nearly a quarter of the population. While the long-awaited trial has been welcomed by victims, they are also criticizing the court for alleged political interference that could limit any further prosecutions.

Initial hearings opened Monday at the United Nations-backed trial of four surviving and highest ranking leaders of the Khmer Rouge.

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More News On The Trial Of Former Khmer Rouge Commanders

Top surviving Khmer Rouge leaders go on trial -- Yahoo News/AP
Khmer Rouge commanders go on trial in Cambodia -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Cambodian tribunal tries Khmer Rouge leaders -- Yahoo News/AP
Cambodian court opens landmark K. Rouge trial -- Yahoo News/AFP
Cambodia's Khmer Rouge leaders begin war crimes trial - video -- The Guardian
Khmer Rouge trial analysis: the day of justice that many Cambodians thought they would never see -- The Telegraph
Cambodia's Khmer Rouge genocide trial battles political pressures -- Christian Science Monitor
The truth about the Khmer Rouge is too big for one court case -- Thet Sambath, The Guardian
Cambodia: Khmer Rouge tribunal 101 -- Christian Science Monitor
Profiles: Khmer Rouge leaders on trial -- Al Jazeera

International War Crimes Court Issues Arrest Warrants For Gaddafi, His Son, And Key Aide

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. Reuters

Gaddafi Becomes World's Most Wanted As International Criminal Court Issues Crimes Against Humanity Arrest Warrant -- Daily Mail

An arrest warrant is out for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, his son and intelligence chief for crimes against humanity from the International Criminal Court.

Judges in The Hague announced that Gaddafi is wanted for orchestrating the killing, torture and imprisonment of hundreds of civilians in his own country.

The warrants make the Libyan dictator, his son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi internationally-wanted suspects

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More News On The International War Crimes Court Issuing Arrest Warrants For Gadhafi, Son, Key Aide

Intl court orders arrest of Gadhafi, son, key aide -- Yahoo News/AP
International court issues arrest warrant for Gaddafi -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Warcrimes court issues Kadhafi arrest warrant -- Yahoo News/AFP
Libya: Muammar Gaddafi subject to ICC arrest warrant -- BBC
International Court Issues Warrant for Gadhafi -- Voice of America
International Court issues arrest warrant for Kadafi -- L.A. Times
Hague Court Issues Warrant for Qaddafi for War Crimes -- New York Times
ICC issues Qaddafi warrant: Key prosecutions of world leaders -- Christian Science Monitor
International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Qaddafi, Son Saif -- Bloomberg
Arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy issued by International Criminal Court -- New York Daily News
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Gadhafi -- CNN
Global arrest warrant issued for Qaddafi, son -- CBS
Gaddafi arrest warrant sparks celebrations in Libya -- The Guardian
Will ICC Arrest Warrants for Qaddafi Make Any Difference? -- Max Fisher, The Atlantic

More Details And Photos Published From U.S. 'Kill Team' In Afghanistan

Dead: Afghans are tied to a post in one of the many images published by Rolling Stone from the 'Kill Team'

'Death Squad': Full Horror Emerges Of How Rogue U.S. Brigade Murdered And Mutilated Innocent Afghan Civilians - And Kept Their Body Parts As Trophies -- The Daily Mail

* Rolling Stone reveals how U.S. troops murdered Afghan civilians
* Soldiers cut off 15-year-old boy's finger and kept it as trophy
* Video captures U.S. troops cheering as airstrike kills two Afghan civilians
* New pictures show dead Afghan man's head on a stick
* Soldier stabbed the body of a dead Afghan civilian
* Military tried to pull pictures out of circulation to avoid another Abu Ghraib
* Army says photos are 'in striking contrast' to its standards and values

The Pentagon tonight apologised after shocking new details emerged of how American soldiers formed a 'death squad' to randomly murder Afghan civilians and mutilate their corpses.

An investigation by Rolling Stone magazine details how senior officers failed to stop troops killing Afghans and keeping their body parts as trophies.

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More News On The U.S. 'Kill Team' In Afghanistan

The Kill Team -- Rolling Stone

US apologizes for more Afghan 'kill team' photos -- AFP
Pentagon Apologizes, Again, After New Pictures Of 'Kill Team' Are Published -- NPR
U.S. Army condemns grisly photos of Afghan killings -- CTV News
Pentagon apologizes again for photos of Afghans slain by U.S. soldiers -- USA Today
Pentagon Reacts to Alleged Afghanistan "Kill Teams" -- FOX News
New photos of atrocities by soldiers in Afghanistan -- CBS News
U.S. soldiers' 'kill team' killed Afghanis, used body parts in poker games: report -- New York Daily News
Pentagon promises "truth" as magazine publishes photos of soldiers murdering Afghan civilians -- Xinhuanet
Army begins investigation, court martial after Rolling Stone article -- The Hill
Rolling Stone’s “Kill Team” Pictures -- Samantha Henig, New Yorker
Rolling Stone's Grisly "Kill Team" Photos: The Tip of the Iceberg? -- Adam Sorensen, Time
Who Is Responsible for the Afghan “Kill Teams?” -- Jazz Shaw, Hot Air
How common are casualty photos like ones gathered by Stryker "kill team?" -- Adam Ashton, News Tribune

When Soldiers Go Rogue In A War Zone

Photo: Corporal Jeremy Morlock told investigators his sergeant randomly picked out Afghan civilians to be killed. (ABC)

Case of Accused Soldiers May Be Worst of 2 Wars -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Over the last nine years, as the Army has cycled hundreds of thousands of soldiers through combat duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, it has also court-martialed 34 on murder or manslaughter charges in the killings of civilians in those conflict zones. Twenty-two were convicted, and 12 acquitted.

Some cases gained a measure of notoriety, including a rape and multiple killing in Iraq in 2006 that resulted in lengthy sentences for several soldiers. The Marine Corps, too, has dealt with high-profile cases, like the killing by Marines in 2005 of 24 Iraqis in Haditha — though prosecution efforts in that case largely collapsed.

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My Comment: And this is what we know .... I am sure there have been many other killings where one can say that certain rules and laws have been broken. But the idea that a "death squad" wearing U.S. uniforms was operating for pleasure in a war zone is particularly distasteful .... and the only comfort that I can get from this news is that those responsible will now suffer the full brunt of the law.

Military Hearing Begins For U.S. Soldiers Implicated In An Afghan Death Squad

US 'Death Squad' Soldier Blames Leader For Killings, Video Shows -- The Telegraph

A military hearing has begun involving the first of five US soldiers accused of killing Afghan civilians earlier this year, as a videotape emerged in which he blamed his squad leader for the killings.

Corporal Jeremy Morlock, 22, from Wasilla, Alaska, faces charges including premeditated murder and conspiracy.

Prosecutors have also alleged that members of his platoon mutilated Afghan corpses and even collected fingers and other body parts, and that some posed for photos with Afghan corpses.

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More News On The Military Hearing Of A US Death Squad In Afghanistan

Hearing begins in alleged plot to murder Afghans -- AP
Sordid Details About Killings of 3 Afghan Civilians -- New York Times
Army soldier says staff sergeant plotted Afghans' killings -- Washington Post
Soldiers Charged in Afghan Thrill Kills Blame 'Crazy' Sergeant Calvin Gibbs -- ABC News
Tapes describe U.S. servicemen killing for sport in Afghanistan -- CNN
U.S. soldier charged with murdering Afghan civilians faces court-martial -- L.A. Times
Tapes Describe U.S. Soldiers Killing for Sport -- CBS News
Soldier ‘Kill Team’ in Afghanistan Photographed Victims -- The Danger Room

Former Khmer Rouge Leaders Indicted For War Crimes

Court: Top Khmer Rouge Cadre Charged With War Crimes -- CNN

(CNN) -- Four of the top former surviving Khmer Rouge cadre were charged with war crimes in Cambodia by a U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal for their role in the late 1970s genocide that left nearly one-quarter of the country's population dead, the court said Thursday.

The four also face charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and offences under the Cambodian Criminal Code 1956, including murder, torture and religious persecution.

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More News On Indicting Former Khmer Rouge Officials For War Crimes

Khmer Rouge tribunal indicts 4 senior leaders -- AP
Four Senior Leaders of 1970s Khmer Rouge Regime to Face Trial in Cambodia -- Bloomberg
Four Khmer Rouge leaders indicted -- The Hindu
Ex-Khmer Rouge leaders face genocide trial -- ABC News (Australia)
War crimes charges filed for Khmer Rouge -- UPI
Cambodia indicts four Khmer Rouge leaders -- AFP
U.N.-backed tribunal indicts 4 Khmer Rouge leaders -- Reuters
Cambodia's judgment day in photos -- CNN