"Stryker Brigade" Scandal (2010)
The "Stryker Brigade" scandal of 2010 involved serious allegations against a U.S. Army unit, the 2nd Stryker Brigade, stationed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Between January and May of that year, twelve soldiers were accused of committing multiple murders of Afghan civilians, which included claims of shooting individuals for sport and subsequently mutilating their bodies as trophies. The incidents were reportedly covered up by planting evidence to falsely portray the victims as combatants.
The accusations led to military charges against the soldiers upon their return to the U.S., raising concerns about the potential for widespread protests similar to those that followed the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Notably, the scandal intensified when a German magazine published photographs related to the alleged killings, which prompted fears of public outcry in Afghanistan and beyond. Initial denials by the accused soldiers were followed by one soldier's confession and willingness to testify against others, highlighting the internal acknowledgment of wrongdoing within the unit. This scandal is indicative of broader issues related to military conduct in conflict zones and the impact of such actions on international relations and local populations.
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"Stryker Brigade" Scandal (2010)
Summary: The alleged murders of at least three Afghanistan civilians by a single American unit operating in Kandahar Province in 2010 resulted in a variety of charges, including some murder charges, against 12 soldiers, and raised the prospect of widespread protests similar to those caused by abuses in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The soldiers were accused both of murdering the civilians and of mutilating the bodies in order to collect trophies. The events took place between January and May 2010; charges were brought against the soldiers upon their return to their base in Washington State in summer 2010 and were first reported in September. All the soldiers initially pleaded innocent; one later pleaded guilty and volunteered to testify against the others. In March 2011 Der Spiegel magazine published three photographs related to the killings -- out of 4,000 such pictures the magazine said it had uncovered, relating to other events as well -- raising the prospect of widespread protests in Afghanistan and possibly other countries, notably Pakistan.
Date: January-May 2010
Place: Afghanistan
Incident: In May 2010 American troops assigned to a unit fighting in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan faced accusations that, on at least three separate occasions between January 2010 and May 2010, they deliberately killed Afghan civilians. News reports described at least three occasions during which troops shot civilians "for sport," and then tried to cover up by planting evidence, such as Russian-made grenades, to make it look as if the victims had attacked the Americans.
On one occasion, January 15, 2010, in the village of La Mohammed Kalay, Afghanistan, an Afghan man, Gul Mudin, was shot for no reason, according to a reconstruction of the event published by the German magazine Der Spiegel in March 2011.
On February 22, 2010, a Russian Kalishnikov rifle was fired, then planted next to the body of another victim, Marach Agha, age 22, according to government charges.
In the third incident, on May 2, 2010, members of the Army unit were accused of planting a hand grenade before shooting and killing Mullah Allah Dad.
At least one of the alleged perpetrators was reported to have cut off one or more fingers of victims, and on one occasion to have extracted a tooth, to serve as "trophies."
In March 2011, Der Spiegel collected about 4,000 photographs taken by members of the same unit relating to many other victims besides those related to the formal charges.
The Accused. In all, twelve American soldiers, described as belonging to the Army's 2nd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based near Tacoma, Washington (the unit was renamed after returning from Afghanistan), were accused in 2010 of a range of charges. (The term "Stryker Brigade" refers to the Stryker tank-like armored vehicles introduced into combat in 2005.) Five of the soldiers were charged in military court with premeditated murder, as well as desecration of corpses. Seven other members of the same unit were accused of charges ranging from illegal possession of photos of corpses, drug abuse, and acts of bodily injury against comrades. All 12 initially denied the charges, although one later admitted his role and provided evidence against the others.
The accused ring-leader of the so-called "kill team" was Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, age 25, from Montana. He pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer said the killings were part of legitimate combat operations. According to the Army, Gibbs planned the attacks as "entertainment," and collected non-American weapons such as AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades used by the Afghan National Police that were used to cover up the murders. Gibbs was also accused of intimidating other soldiers to keep them from testifying. According to some reports, Gibbs had six tattoos on one leg representing skulls--supposedly of three victims in Afghanistan and three in Iraq.
Another accused soldier, Adam Winfield, age 21, told his father about the killing during a discussion that took place on Facebook on the day of the first killing, January 15, 2010. In a separate note to his father, Winfield also mentioned a second incident, in February 2010. The note said that the unit had killed a man, later identified as Marach Agha, 22, who was apparently working his farm -- a poppy field -- for no apparent reason. Winfield's father was reported to have subsequently tried to alert Army authorities about the discussion, but generated no interest.
One of the accused soldiers, Corporal Jeremy Morlock, age 22, confessed to participating in the incidents and provided testimony against the others in late 2010. He was due to be sentenced for his role in March 2011.
Specialist Michael S. Wagnon II was charged in the death of Agha (in February 2010) and with trying to cover up the crime by urging a soldier to erase a computer hard drive containing evidence.
Private Andrew H. Holmes was charged in the death of Mudin (in January 2010).
Seven members of the unit were charged with other crimes, including firing on Afghan civilians and using hashish. The Army's initial investigation focused on the drug use, according to the New York Times.
Extended Impact: Senior American officials, including Vice President Joseph Biden, expressed concern that the pictures released by Der Spiegel could have an impact in Afghanistan similar to publication of pictures related to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq. Those pictures sparked widespread protests, not only in Iraq but in other Muslim countries as well.
On the eve of the Der Spiegel report in March 2011, organizations in Afghanistan, including the United Nations, banned movements of staff in Kabul for fear of public reactions to the pictures. DynCorp, an American company providing security and other services to American companies in Afghanistan, warned its clients that the Der Spiel photographs were likely to incite the local population since the "severity of the incidents to be revealed are graphic and extreme."
Bibliography
Gebauer, Matthias and Hasnain Kazim. "http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,752310,00.html Der Spiegel. March 21, 2011.
Hujer, Marc. "http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,717127-2,00.html" Der Spiegel. September 13, 2010.
Yardley, William and Eric Schmitt. "http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/us/20soldiers.html?scp=1&sq=5%20U.S.%20Soldiers%20Accused%20of%20Killing%20Afghan%20Civilians.&st=cse" New York Times. September 19, 2010.
Rubin, Alissa. "http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/world/asia/22afghanistan.html?%5Fr=1&scp=3&sq=5%20U.S.%20Soldiers%20Accused%20of%20Killing%20Afghan%20Civilians.&st=cse" New York Times. March 21, 2011.