What Drove Corporal Morlock and His Team to Commit Atrocities?

[DevilsAvocado]

This makes me XXL

The 'Kill Team' Images - SPIEGEL ONLINE

US Army Apologizes for Horrific Photos from Afghanistan

The SPIEGEL story printed on Monday includes new details about a series of murders of innocent Afghans committed by a group of US soldiers. One of the accused, Corporal Jeremy Morlock, 22, confessed to the murders three months ago. Morlock is scheduled to face a general court-martial on Thursday. In total, 12 US soldiers who were allegedly part of what has been described as a "kill team" in Afghanistan are expected to go on trial soon.

*** Warning! Horrific Photos! ***
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,752310,00.html

[PLAIN]http://www.bakersfieldalternative.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/StrykerSoldiersKillSquad.jpg
Andrew Holmes, Michael Wagnon, Jeremy Morlock and Adam Winfield

 

[nismaratwork]

There are always people in any group that will commit atrocities given the chance, there is simply no perfect way to prevent it. In addition, trauma is a bugger, and when you add that to a sociopathic leader... you have group agression.

 

[Proton Soup]

this could get ugly, coming right on the heels of the purchase of Davis' freedom, and the predator strikes in N.Waziristan that also took out a bunch of civilians. makes me wonder how much of it is being done on purpose.

 

[nismaratwork]

this could get ugly, coming right on the heels of the purchase of Davis' freedom, and the predator strikes in N.Waziristan that also took out a bunch of civilians. makes me wonder how much of it is being done on purpose.

I wish I had so much faith in our government that this could be coordinated. Really, I think this is simple: strike while everything else is going to hell, the media can only cover so much.

 

[AlephZero]

Why does anybody find this stuff surprising? Distateful, yes. Surprising, no.

There is nothing new here. Remember the Duke of Wellington's comment after inspecting his troops before the battle of Waterloo: "I don't know if they will frighten the enemy, but they sure as hell frighten me".

 

[hypatia]

Its hard to tell, which humans will loose their sense of humanity, during times of war. But it happens across the board, no single race of people is worse, or better then another.

 

[Newai]

It is interesting and most telling how the media and public respond to their crimes. Since our forces are held to a higher standard, holding the perpetrators responsible only exemplifies our role in bringing order to a chaotic region where this kind of behavior is the norm for the Taliban. The U.S. Army seniors issued apologies, as is necessary and important to our goals. While we'd never see any such apologies from Mullah Mohammed Omar for his soldiers' atrocities, the world expects, and will see, justice for these crimes. Yet the pessimist in me doubts our example will matter much to the Afghans in the end.