More Evidence Of War Crimes In Syria (Graphic Video)

Syrian Rebel Films Himself Shooting 10 Prisoners -- Reuters

Nov 30 (Reuters) - New footage posted on the Internet appears to have been filmed by a Syrian rebel who points the camera along the barrel of his gun as he shoots 10 unarmed prisoners.

The video, posted on YouTube on Thursday, shows 10 men wearing t-shirts and camouflage trousers lying face down next to a building and a lookout tower. Even before the shooting, two of the men are not moving and one has blood coming from his torso.

"I swear to God that we are peaceful," begs one of the men to the camera, which is being held by the gunman. Cowering, the man gets up to plead with rebels. As he approaches a rebel off-screen, a shot is heard and he returns holding his bloodied arm.

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My Comment: Once in a while these videos come out of Syria, but I suspect that such incidences are now happening everyday.

Hearing Begins For U.S. Soldier Accused Of Killing 16 Afghan Villagers

American authorities have charged Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, left, with 16 murders. Photograph: Reuters

Hearing Begins For U.S. Soldier Charged In Deadly Afghanistan Spree -- CNN

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (CNN) -- The American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a shooting rampage is sitting in a military courtroom for the next week or more, hearing the evidence against him.

The Article 32 hearing began Monday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state to determine if a trial is warranted for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who could get the death penalty if convicted.

The deadly shooting spree near a small U.S. base in Afghanistan's Kandahar province last March strained already tense U.S.-Afghan relations and intensified a debate about whether to pull out American troops ahead of their planned 2014 withdrawal.

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More News On The Hearings For U.S. Soldier Charged In Deadly Afghanistan Spree

Prosecutor: US soldier had blood of victims on him -- Seattle PI/AP
Hearing begins for US soldier accused of killing 16 in Afghan villages -- FOX News/AP
Hearing for U.S. soldier accused of Afghan rampage set to begin -- Reuters
US soldier Robert Bales in court over Afghan massacre -- BBC
Pretrial hearing in Afghan massacre to begin Monday -- Seattle Times
Prosecutors in Afghanistan massacre case face tough challenge -- L.A. Times
Wife of Sgt. Robert Bales, Accused of Afghanistan Massacre, Says 'My Husband Did Not Do This': ABC News Exclusive -- ABC News
Wife of Army sergeant accused of Afghan massacre proclaims his innocence -- New York Daily News
Afghan ghost village 'haunted by US soldier's rampage' -- AFP

Did Sgt. Bales Act Alone When He Massacred 16 Civilians In Kandahar?

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 1st platoon sergeant, Blackhorse Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, in 2011. (Spc. Ryan Hallock, 28th Public Affairs/U.S. Army)

Did Accused Kandahar Killer Sgt. Bales Act Alone? -- Daily Beast

At around 3 a.m. on March 11, if the United States government is to be believed, a hero turned into a monster. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, a family man and decorated soldier thrice awarded the Army medal for good conduct, slipped out of his military base in southern Afghanistan and, for reasons unknown, began firing indiscriminately from house to house as he carved a path of mayhem through two villages. By the time he stopped shooting, 16 civilians—mostly women and children—were dead; the bodies were then burned. He had been drinking, the government maintains, and taking drugs. If convicted, he will stand alongside Lt. William Calley as one of the worst perpetrators of American military atrocities in modern times.

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Update: Hearing set for Afghan slayings suspect Bales after lengthy wait -- The Olympian

My Comment: This case is going to be closely watched .... both here and in Afghanistan. I am not surprised that it has taken this long to go to trial .... it would also not surprise me if a verdict will be stretched out until U.S. combat troops are out of Afghanistan in 2014. As to what is my take on this case .... I cannot help but feel for the families that have been directly impacted by this massacre .... the Afghan families who lost loved ones, and in Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' family back home.