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The picture which shames US army
Hat tip: WSJ Best of the Web.Is this the best theyâve got? Go to the link to see these shocking pictures.  By Yvonne Ridley Does that name sound familiar? A secretly taken picture of an American soldier frisking an Afghan child has shocked human rights campaigners across the world. Itâs just... I canât find the words... terrifying. The picture was given to Al-jazeera.net by the Islamic Observation Centre to highlight the plight of children in Afghanistan.It will now be shown to delegates and discussed at the Washington Conference on Civil Liberties in America on Saturday, 25 October. Itâs not in America, itâs in Afghanistan. Oh, hell. Set up the war crimes trials anyways. Taken by a strategically placed camera, and using a telephoto lens, the undercover photographer snapped a four-year-old child having his clothing searched by a heavily armed US soldier. Get his name! I want him court martialed! The child and his friends were playing in the village of Zermit in Paktika when American soldiers, hunting for Taliban fighters, arrived. "Those children could have been carrying explosives," said an unapologetic US Major Peter Mitchell who was shown the picture by Aljazeera.net. At least the major had the good grace not to burst out laughing in their faces. Major Mitchell, a US marine and spokesman for US Central Command, added: "The troops on the ground in Afghanistan will respond accordingly to whatever threat in that environment exists. Maybe they received intelligence that children were carrying explosives and that the children could be used against coalition forces. Coalition forces will do whatever it is they need to do to protect themselves. In times of conflict their personal security comes before hearts and minds." Amen. Trigger fingers ??????? "If someone is offended because a four-year-old is being searched they should know that the security of forces will always come first." Amen again. Aljazeera.net was given another picture also taken in Zermit village, at the same time, which appeared to show nervous-looking, armed US soldiers aiming their weapons at a sheep during a house search. Mustâve been pissed that the troopies were checking out their girlfriends. Not everyone shares Major Mitchellâs views of the child search. Mauri Saalakhan, director of the Peace and Justice Foundation in America said he was shocked when shown the pictures by Aljazeera.net. "My first reaction is concern for the welfare of the children of Afghanistan. It is quite possible tragedies could unfold if trigger-nervous US soldiers look at these children as potential security risks." Take a pill, Mauri. A big one. Slow day in fifth column land? "We will raise awareness about this and will certainly be discussing the issue at the civil liberties conference later this month in Washington," added Saalakhan. Yes, do that. Look like a total fool to anyone but your fellow travelers. Yasser al-Sirri, director of the Islamic Observation Centre based in London, said one of his correspondents based in Afghanistan and Pakistan had taken the picture, but wished to remain anonymous so he could continue his work. "This is a shocking picture. We want Aljazeera.net to show the world what the Americans are doing in Afghanistan. It is a picture which will shame the US military," added Ansiri, spokesman for the centre which is a human rights organisation. Grasping at straws are we?
Posted by: tu3031 2003-10-24 |
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