Afghanistan’s parliament has condemned the killing of 16 civilians by an American sergeant on Sunday. It demands a public trial, saying Afghans have run out of patience with how the NATO-led coalition forces are acting in the country.
The demand for a trial by an Afghan court goes against the usual practice for American military personnel serving abroad. They are immune from prosecution by local authorities and are instead tried by American military tribunals.
The presence of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) in Afghanistan has been a public relations nightmare lately, with a number of scandals erupting involving foreign soldiers over recent months.
In late February the burning of Korans and other holy Muslim scriptures at the US Bagram Air Base provoked mass rioting in the country. What was called an “inadvertent” act by the US resulted in some 40 deaths and hundreds of injured, as angry crowds demanded retribution for the desecration.
Earlier the same month a photo of a US Marine scout sniper team surfaced on the internet, provoking a scandal. The marines were posing in front of flag bearing an insignia of the SS, or Schutzstaffel, the military wing of the German Nazi Party. According to explanations, the soldiers did not realize the historical meaning of the double lightning bolt and meant it to represent “scout snipers”.
In mid-January, a video showing US Marines urinating on corpses of slain Afghans, presumably Taliban fighters, circulated on YouTube caused outrage worldwide. In at least one incident the video provoked violent retribution, when an Afghan soldier opened fire at French troops, who were part of the ISAF, killing four and wounding eight people.