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US and Australian troops on trial for sport killings
Agence France Presse - September 27, 2010
Tacoma, Washington – The US Army held a first hearing on Monday in a war crimes case against a group of soldiers accused of killing Afghan civilians for sport, mutilating corpses and plotting a cover-up.
Authorities say 5 of the 12 troops on trial opened fire on Afghan civilians in unprovoked assaults over the space of several months in southern Kandahar province, with the rest accused of dismembering bodies and removing bones.
The case, before a military court near Seattle, could have explosive ramifications for the war effort as US-led forces try to win over local Afghans.
Monday's hearing focused on Specialist Jeremy Morlock, 22, of Alaska, who faces charges of premeditated murder in the deaths of three Afghans killed between January and May this year.
Morlock is one of five soldiers charged with murder in the case, while seven others are accused of trying to block the investigation, using hashish and severely beating a comrade in retaliation for blowing the whistle.
The charge sheets also include macabre allegations of dismembering corpses.
US officials acknowledge they are concerned about the fallout from the case, which threatens to undermine efforts by the American military to avoid civilian casualties and secure the confidence of wary Afghans.
Meanwhile, three Australian soldiers will face charges including manslaughter over a raid in Afghanistan that left five children dead, Australia's chief military prosecutor said on Monday.
The court action follows an operation in February last year to clear a compound in Uruzgan province where Australian forces believed a Taliban leader was hiding out.
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