American officer’s war crime: confession to murder and burning of body in Afghanistan
Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism - A former U.S. Army Special Forces officer has confessed to killing an unarmed man in southern Afghanistan in 2010 and burning his body. The confession, made during a job interview with the CIA, has sparked a military criminal investigation and raised concerns among senior commanders.
American officer‘s war crime: confession to murder and burning of body in Afghanistan
According to the President’s News Agency, the New York Times recently published a shocking report on American crimes in Afghanistan: In the summer of 2012, Captain Anthony Aguilar, assistant commander of the US Army Special Forces, was faced with strange news in his office near the office of General Christopher Haas.
Two senior staff officers rushed into a confidential meeting to discuss the charges against Matthew Golstein, Aguilar’s former classmate at West Point and a prominent officer in the Green Beret.
According to the New York Times, Golstein admitted during a CIA recruitment interview that in 2010, he had released a suspected bomb maker from captivity in southern Afghanistan, then deliberately killed him, who was unarmed, and burned his body. The confession prompted the CIA to report the matter to the U.S. military, which quickly launched a criminal investigation.
Allison, Captain Aguilar’s wife and General Haas’s public relations officer, who was called to the meeting to review the case, was stunned to hear the news. She knew Golstein as a popular officer and the “star” of the unit, admired by his comrades. “It was really strange and unusual,” Allison said of Golstein’s admission to cremation.
Anthony Aguilar, who was serving in southern Afghanistan in 2010, was less surprised. He described Golstein as a “cowboy who did whatever he wanted.” However, the cautious and fearful reaction of his commanders told him that the case could have far-reaching consequences for the entire organization. “Everyone has been very cautious and secretive behind closed doors… This is going to cause a lot of problems for us,” Aguilar added.
This controversial case has cast a heavy shadow over the performance of the US Army’s special forces and raised serious questions about the oversight of operations in war zones and the possibility of war crimes.
