Five U.S. troops may face review over Qur'an burnings

[rug]

Updated: Sat Mar. 03 2012 06:03:09
The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan — At least five American military personnel could face a disciplinary review over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base in Afghanistan as conflicting accounts of what happened emerged Saturday, fueling more confusion over the incident that sparked six days of deadly riots across the nation.

A Western official told The Associated Press that a joint investigation by senior Afghan and U.S. military officials has convinced them that although mistakes were made, there was no intent to desecrate the Qurans and other Islamic religious texts.

The official, who has knowledge of the investigation, said it could lead to a disciplinary review of at least five U.S. military personnel involved. The official did not elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. It is unclear what such a review could recommend.

President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials have apologized and said the Feb. 20 burning at a burn pit at Bagram Air Field outside Kabul was an accident. But the apologies failed to quell the anger, although protests over the burnings have now ebbed.

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120303/bagram-quran-burnings-troop-disciplinary-review-120303/20120303/?hub=EdmontonHome

[cbayer]

1. I thought they were doing a lot more cultural sensitivty training these days.

How could these soldiers not have known that what they were doing was going to be a problem?

[rug]

2. Maybe they did.

"But Maulvi Khaliq Dad, a top Afghan religious leader who was on a different panel appointed by President Hamid Karzai to investigate the incident, claimed U.S. troops told Afghans at the base that the religious materials pulled from a detention centre library were to be stored, but then they were sent for incineration.

"'They are claiming that it was not intentional. Our investigative team says it was intentional,' Dad said Saturday.

"After Dad's panel presented its findings, Afghanistan's top religious leaders demanded on Friday that those involved be put on public trial and be punished, a position that Karzai backs."

[demosincebirth]

5. Sure, we'll let you guy put 'em on trial in Afghanistan.

[Jim__]

3. I wonder what charges they could level against US troops for burning Qur'ans.

Maybe insubordination if the deliberately disobeyed an order; but I'm not sure what else they could be charged with.

[TexasProgresive]

4. If nothing else they should be reassigned to someplace like Adak

I know it's Navy but what the Hell. Send them someplace remote, with an hostile climate where they can do little more harm and think about what the misery and death their unthinking actions wrought. Oh, and be sure all of the service men and women know they are there because they caused the death of fellow military.