Religious Desecration of Bodies Latest US Tactic?
Stardate 4733.2
CTV - US troops "burned" Taliban bodies: report
A freelance journalist embedded with the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the US Army, Stephen Dupont, has taken video footage reportedly showing US soldiers burning the bodies of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government fears an increase in anti-American sentiment and demanded that those responsible be punished. The US military found the claim "repugnant" and vowed to investigate the the report as it was broadcast on Australian television.
According to Dupont, the soldiers burned the bodies for health reasons, though everyone knew that the act would be perceived as desecration. Islamic tradition dictates that the bodies of the dead must be washed, wrapped in white cloth, prayed over and buried within 24 hours of death. Cremation is not an option.
Dupont seems to think the burning of the Taliban soldiers facing west was a psychological attempt to incite attacks from the Taliban. "That's the only way they can find them."
You can watch the video here...
As sickening as suicide bombings are, and attacks on innocent civilians, these tactics are no better. The US is using psychological terrorism to combat physical terrorism. I suppose they are all one in the same really, but this sort of thing rates up there with the acceptance of torture as a means of extracting information. We must be careful as to not become the enemy with our tactics, though perhaps it is far too late for that already...
CTV - US troops "burned" Taliban bodies: report
A freelance journalist embedded with the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the US Army, Stephen Dupont, has taken video footage reportedly showing US soldiers burning the bodies of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government fears an increase in anti-American sentiment and demanded that those responsible be punished. The US military found the claim "repugnant" and vowed to investigate the the report as it was broadcast on Australian television.
According to Dupont, the soldiers burned the bodies for health reasons, though everyone knew that the act would be perceived as desecration. Islamic tradition dictates that the bodies of the dead must be washed, wrapped in white cloth, prayed over and buried within 24 hours of death. Cremation is not an option.
Dupont seems to think the burning of the Taliban soldiers facing west was a psychological attempt to incite attacks from the Taliban. "That's the only way they can find them."
You can watch the video here...
As sickening as suicide bombings are, and attacks on innocent civilians, these tactics are no better. The US is using psychological terrorism to combat physical terrorism. I suppose they are all one in the same really, but this sort of thing rates up there with the acceptance of torture as a means of extracting information. We must be careful as to not become the enemy with our tactics, though perhaps it is far too late for that already...
posted by Zaphod at 10:25 AM
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