SF Snipers Charged With Murder

Two SF Green Berets from Fort Bragg's Operational Detachment Alpha, Third Battalion, Third SF Group are being charged with murder despite a justifiable ruling when initially investigated. The two were part of a classified 12 man operation working in a village on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan last October. The rules of engagement stated that if they spotted the target, Nawab Buntangyar a terrorist cell leader, and postively identified him they could kill him. The two men, one senior and the other junior on the rifle, spotted Buntangyar and the senior officer gave the order to shoot. Buntangyar was shot once in the head from 100 yards and and was killed instantly.

SF Commanding General in Afghanistan, Frank Kearney, stated the killing appeared to be unjustified and illegal. Kearney pushed for charges to be leveled against the two even after an initial investigation ruled the shooting was justified. Kearney is the same General who forced a Marine unit out of Afghanistan because he believed they used unjustified force against Afghans during their missions.

As a General you would think Kearney would understand the realities of war. War is fast, fluid, unknown, scary and dirty. We have asked our troops to go to a horrible country, kill the enemy and help re-build a democracy. We don't know the whole truth behind the event but I am hard pressed to find any reason or any circumstance where we would want to try our own men for the murder of an Afghan. Allow me to explain.

ROE or not, if this guy was a terrorist cell leader, which he was reported to be, then I am glad he is dead. Why wouldn't we want to split his skull with a bullet? If he was not a terrorist leader or he was mis-identified as the terrorist leader they were looking for then those are the breaks of war. War is not a concisely planned event where all outcomes can be predicted. Best intel said he was a terrorist so we killed him. Another scenario was that he was a goat herder, an "innocent" bystander. I find that a little difficult to believe. The Taliban and Al-Queda are using any and all villages, especially along the border, to hide out and launch offensive terrorist operations from. If this was the case either he was helping them or would undoubtedly report the American presence to the Taliban fighters. The Taliban often use these "farmer" types as look outs and recon elements. Any way you look at it, the death of this Afghan means nothing in the grand scheme and certainly does not justify the trial of these two American heroes who were only doing what we asked of them.

Let me cement this with an example. Four members of SEAL team 10 were conducting operation Redwing in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan on a similar mission. While waiting to take a precision sniper shot at a terrorist leader, they were stumbled upon by 3 "goat herders". They decided the right thing to do to save their lives and complete their mission was to kill the "innocent farmers". Their conscience got the best of them and they let them go. Within hours, upwards of 200 armed and deadly Taliban fighters descended on their hide, obviously directed there by the three goat herders for the Taliban. Four SEALs battled the hardened Taliban at a ratio of 45 Taliban to every American. Three SEALs were killed and one miraculously survived.

So, no matter what the situation was, I find it hard to stomach that we would try two SF snipers for killing the bad men we sent them to kill. These men should be given medals for going behind enemy lines to face the enemy. They killed that bastard and I thank them for it. By killing him they saved the lives of countless Americans that would have died if he would have lived.