Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Washingtonpost.com
September 16, 2008
By Kevin Maurer, Associated Press
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- A top commander acted properly by removing a Marine special operations unit from Afghanistan amid allegations that members killed as many as 19 civilians after a car bomb hit their convoy, the Department of Defense said in a report made public Tuesday.
The report found Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney acted properly in removing the unit and also bringing murder charges against two Fort Bragg Special Forces soldiers in a separate case. But U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday that he is not satisfied with a report from the department's inspector general.
Jones sought the investigation after Kearney ordered the company involved in the March 2007 ambush out of Afghanistan. The Camp Lejeune-based Marines were driving along a highway in eastern Afghanistan when their convoy was hit by a car bomb and gunfire. The Marines fired back, killing civilians, though the exact number is disputed. In May, a military Court of Inquiry found that the Marines acted appropriately and within the rules of engagement.
Camp Lejeune, home of Marine Special Operations Command, is in Jones' district, and Jones was upset Kearney made public comments about the Marines before an investigation was complete. Kearney told The Washington Post soon after the March 2007 attack that there was no evidence the Marines were shot at after the car bomb hit their convoy.
"Not only has the presumption of innocence been discarded, but the reputation of these Marines may be maligned," Jones wrote in a May 2007 letter.
Jones said he plans to file another letter asking the Defense Department additional questions.
"At this point, I am still very concerned," Jones said. "There are still questions that need to be answered. I appreciate the inspector general looking into this case, but maybe I wasn't clear."
The investigation was finished in July, but Kearney's command announced the findings in a statement Tuesday.
The inspector general found that Kearney, who was commanding general of Special Operations Command-Central Command and oversaw special operations forces in the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan, acted within his authority in ordering the company out.
"His actions were based upon repeated operational and command failures within the company that led to loss of confidence in the company's ability to successfully conduct its assigned missions," the report said.
The inspector general also found that Kearney did not abuse his authority or exert improper command influence when he charged two Special Forces soldiers with the murder of a known enemy fighter near the Pakistan border. Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko dismissed the charges in Sept. 2007. He was then-commander of U.S. Army Special Forces Command.
September 16, 2008
By Kevin Maurer, Associated Press
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- A top commander acted properly by removing a Marine special operations unit from Afghanistan amid allegations that members killed as many as 19 civilians after a car bomb hit their convoy, the Department of Defense said in a report made public Tuesday.
The report found Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney acted properly in removing the unit and also bringing murder charges against two Fort Bragg Special Forces soldiers in a separate case. But U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday that he is not satisfied with a report from the department's inspector general.
Jones sought the investigation after Kearney ordered the company involved in the March 2007 ambush out of Afghanistan. The Camp Lejeune-based Marines were driving along a highway in eastern Afghanistan when their convoy was hit by a car bomb and gunfire. The Marines fired back, killing civilians, though the exact number is disputed. In May, a military Court of Inquiry found that the Marines acted appropriately and within the rules of engagement.
Camp Lejeune, home of Marine Special Operations Command, is in Jones' district, and Jones was upset Kearney made public comments about the Marines before an investigation was complete. Kearney told The Washington Post soon after the March 2007 attack that there was no evidence the Marines were shot at after the car bomb hit their convoy.
"Not only has the presumption of innocence been discarded, but the reputation of these Marines may be maligned," Jones wrote in a May 2007 letter.
Jones said he plans to file another letter asking the Defense Department additional questions.
"At this point, I am still very concerned," Jones said. "There are still questions that need to be answered. I appreciate the inspector general looking into this case, but maybe I wasn't clear."
The investigation was finished in July, but Kearney's command announced the findings in a statement Tuesday.
The inspector general found that Kearney, who was commanding general of Special Operations Command-Central Command and oversaw special operations forces in the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan, acted within his authority in ordering the company out.
"His actions were based upon repeated operational and command failures within the company that led to loss of confidence in the company's ability to successfully conduct its assigned missions," the report said.
The inspector general also found that Kearney did not abuse his authority or exert improper command influence when he charged two Special Forces soldiers with the murder of a known enemy fighter near the Pakistan border. Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko dismissed the charges in Sept. 2007. He was then-commander of U.S. Army Special Forces Command.