U.S. Army soldier sentenced to life for killing Afghan civilians

[News_Editor]

U.S. Army soldier sentenced to life for killing Afghan civilians

2011-11-11 23:31:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, who is considered to have been the ring leader of a so-called 'kill team', has been found guilty for his role in the killings of three unarmed Afghan civilians. He was sentenced to life in prison.

A five-member U.S. Army panel reached the verdict at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington state on Thursday, finding Gibbs guilty of 15 separate charges which include murder, conspiracy to murder, assault on another soldier and cutting parts off corpses.

Gibbs, 26, of Billings, Montana, and member of JBLM's 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, is the highest-ranking soldier involved in the Maywand District killings which took place while he led a platoon in Kandahar Province in 2010.

The first victim was 15-year-old Gul Mudin who was killed in the village of La Mohammad Kalay on January 15, 2010 with the use of a grenade and rifle. Another victim was Marach Agha who was executed outside his home on February 22, 2010, after the U.S. soldiers placed evidence to make it appear as if they had been attacked first.

After Marach Agha was killed, the soldiers allegedly took his skull as a souvenir. Another victim was village cleric Mullah Adahdad who was attacked with a grenade and fatally shot on May 2, 2010.

Several graphic pictures of the victims were previously released by Der Spiegel and Rolling Stone magazine. In the photos, U.S. soldiers can be seen posing with the corpses of dead Afghans, many of them in mocking forms.

According to court documents, the soldiers involved in the killings had become 'bored' because of a lack of armed confrontations in the region. They then decided to form a 'kill team' to attack unarmed Afghan villagers and place firearms near their bodies to justify the killings.

Gibbs, who was considered to be the ring leader, tried to convince the jury he had been set up by other soldiers and had not been involved in the killings. He also argued that the killing in February was carried out in legitimate combat that involved an armed individual, but other soldiers involved admitted the evidence was faked.

Nonetheless, Gibbs admitted that he removed and took body parts from the corpses, similar to hunting trophies. Among the body parts he took was a finger and a plucked tooth, army prosecutors said.

Also part of the so-called "kill team" was Private Jeremy Morlock who previously pleaded guilty to three counts of murder. Private Andrew Holmes pleaded guilty to murder for his role in the January killing and Specialist Adam Winfield pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for his role in the May murder.

A dozen soldiers have so far been charged for their roles in the murders, of whom 10 have already been convicted. Gibbs was sentenced to life in prison, although he will be eligible for parole in less than nine years.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-11-11

[luckizuchinni]

And for those who keep calling the NATO-led forces "invaders" and keep standing up for the Taliban, saying that our drone strikes are far worse than what the Taliban does, this is one huge difference between the two sides. When our soldiers do wrong, we generally hold them accountable.

There is a world of difference.

[smiling mantis]

And for those who keep calling the NATO-led forces "invaders" and keep standing up for the Taliban, saying that our drone strikes are far worse than what the Taliban does, this is one huge difference between the two sides. When our soldiers do wrong, we generally hold them accountable.

There is a world of difference.

And when our politicians do far greater wrongs?

If the leaders of the Taliban did what our leaders have done, they'd cut off their heads. They hold their leaders accountable.

There is indeed a world of difference.

[Riely]

I hate to see the troops be harmed or imprisoned, considering the crap we put them through. However this had to be done, we can't let our troops go around murdering innocents.

[luckizuchinni]

And for those who keep calling the NATO-led forces "invaders" and keep standing up for the Taliban, saying that our drone strikes are far worse than what the Taliban does, this is one huge difference between the two sides. When our soldiers do wrong, we generally hold them accountable.

There is a world of difference.

And when our politicians do far greater wrongs?

If the leaders of the Taliban did what our leaders have done, they'd cut off their heads. They hold their leaders accountable.

There is indeed a world of difference.

I have to say that this is one of the strangest contentions I have read in a long, long while. It makes no sense.

First, what are the "far greater wrongs?" Second, if the Taliban leaders did the same, who would be cutting off their heads?

If you are contending that the war itself is a far greater wrong, well, that can be debated. However, as the Taliban leaders are pursuing the war, and targeting civilians as well, no one seems to be "cutting off their heads."