War & Peace

Rolling Stone Publishes Graphic, Unedited U.S. Army “Kill Team” War Crime Photos

March 28, 2011 by Brett Wilkins in U.S. Military, War Crimes & Atrocities, War on Terror with 34 Comments

Last week, we reported that the German newsweekly Der Spiegel published photos of American soldiers committing war crimes against Afghan civilians. The rogue soldiers, who formed a “kill team,” murdered innocent civilians for sport, posing for photos with some of their victims. Some “kill team” members also kept grisly souvenirs, such as fingers and skulls, from the men and boys they killed. Last week, 22-year-old “kill team” member Cpl. Jeremy Morlock of Wasilla, Alaska was sentenced to 24 years in prison for “acts of unspeakable cruelty”– three counts of murder and one count each of conspiracy, illegal drug use, and obstructing justice.

While the Spiegel photos were shockingly graphic enough, the faces of the victims were scrambled and the most graphic images were not published by the magazine. Now, the American music magazine Rolling Stone has decided to publish additional, far more graphic photographs, along with un-edited versions of the ones seen in the German magazine.

Moral Low Ground has decided to publish some of these photos as well. We warn our readers; they’re an extremely graphic record of American troops committing horrific atrocities against innocent civilians.

Here, Cpl. Jeremy Morlock poses with the body of 15-year-old Gul Mudin, an innocent, unarmed Afghan boy who was murdered by Morlock and Pfc. Andrew Holmes in the village of La Mohammad Kalay. The US soldiers then staged the site of the killing to make it appear as if Mudin was an insurgent. Notice the missing pinky finger on Mudin’s right hand– Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs chopped it off with a pair of medical shears and presented it to Holmes as a souvenir from his first kill. (Photo: Rolling Stone)

This mangled mess is all that remains of an insurgent killed by a US helicopter gunship. “Kill team” members were dispatched to gather up the grisly remains with dignity for the deceased, but instead they photographed and desecrated the corpse. (Photo: Rolling Stone)

Two innocent farmers, killed by members of another platoon, bound together and left on the side of a highway. “Standard operating procedure after killing dudes was to drag them up to the side of the highway.” US troops made signs reading “TALIBAN ARE DEAD” and hung them around the dead farmers’ necks. (Photo: Rolling Stone)

It is unclear whether this man was a civilian or a combatant, but members of the “kill team” sometimes kept body parts of their victims, including at least one head, as trophies. (Photo: Rolling Stone)

The severed legs of an unidentified Afghan male. Such photos were passed around among members of Bravo Company, demonstrating a shocking disregard for Afghan life. (Photo: Rolling Stone)

What’s so sinister about this photo of Cpl. Morlock posing with an Afghan child? Nothing, until you consider the fact that some soldiers in his platoon discussed throwing candy out of a Stryker armored vehicle as they drove through a village and shooting the children who ran up to pick up the “treats.” (Photo: Rolling Stone)

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34 Comments

Lance Link via FacebookMarch 28, 2011 at 11:52 amReply

No wonder people hate us. We’re so hypocritical…because the corpoations profit from war and pull the politicians’ strings.
- Otm ShanksMarch 29, 2011 at 3:22 pmReply
  
  What does this have to do with corporations? Oh, yeah. Obama is doing this for his oil buddies. No blood for oil! Obama is Hitler!
- Jabbo FlemingMay 24, 2011 at 11:27 amReply
  
  You guys are so gullible.Boo hoo hoo! Milk and cookies!Never mind what they do to each other let alone us!It’s about time they see we are not a bunch of pussy ass bleeding heart liberals. We need to strike true fear into the hearts and minds of our enemy. Sleep tight tonight there cupcake!
  - Brett WilkinsMay 24, 2011 at 11:29 amReplyAuthor
    
    What, exactly, do they do to us that’s anywhere near as bad as what we do to them? And since when should the Taliban be the standard to which we compare our actions to? Aren’t we supposed to be “better” than them?
  - Mr GateOctober 29, 2011 at 8:42 amReply
    
    Yeah that’s all fine and dandy until some “raghead” soldier slits your daughter’s (ironically nicknamed ‘cupcake’) throat and keeps her tongue as a souvenir.
    - Brett WilkinsOctober 29, 2011 at 12:25 pmReplyAuthor
      
      I’ve never heard of “ragheads” doing such things, only U.S. troops.
  - BrianNovember 11, 2011 at 5:24 amReply
    
    So you agree that the U.S military is at least no better than the terrorist, since they kill indiscriminately just like those they label terrorist?
    - Brett WilkinsNovember 11, 2011 at 7:48 amReplyAuthor
      
      Well it’s a bit more complicated than that. The vast majority of men and women in uniform are good people who are placed in situations that bring out the worst in mankind, and under such circumstances they usually perform quite admirably. That being said, the United States is perhaps the world’s leading terrorist state; its policies and actions are those of a bully and a terrorist and its armed forces are forced to commit acts of terrorism to further the goals of the empire.
      - PixiesticksNovember 11, 2011 at 10:18 am
        
        I completely agree with you Brett. Well said!
- Mr GateOctober 29, 2011 at 8:39 amReply
  
  LOL. I love these tough guys responding to you who probably never served in the military and never will. Just armchair warrior dickheads with diarrhea of the mouth.
Gianmarco Conegliano via FacebookMarch 28, 2011 at 8:25 pmReply

I would be in favor of stripping these guys of their U.S. citizenship for that.
- ManuelaJuly 22, 2011 at 7:05 amReply
  
  Uhm, yes, what a punishment! How about the death penatly?! I’m usually against it, but in this case I’m willing to make an exception.
SpeechlessMarch 28, 2011 at 9:11 pmReply

This is terrible. I am a military member myself and to see this sort of disregard for common sense, moral judgement, and military law as absolutely terrible. The story that goes along with these photos, meaning the actions of the accused soldiers, is shocking, sick, and what happens when men are called upon to their worst. War is a terrible thing, and after seeing your friends die in combat, you become distant to that “moral compass” that one of the accused talked about. That in no way justifies such acts, but I find it less surprising, more disappointed that this garbage went on for as long as it did.
- ParamisseNovember 12, 2011 at 10:36 pmReply
  
  can you please tell to your friends help people not killing people can you tell them don’t be just like Taliban and another terrorists can you help your friends cause such soldiers just like this soldiers in photos have psycho problems for sure can you help them and find for them some good psychologists pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
  we don’t blame all of US soldiers
  we just blame soldiers who kill rape torture
  and I am Iranian
  and I love Afghanistan too cause Afghanistan was a part of Iran and actually they are Iranian they ‘we’ had a great culture and history especially before Islam 1400 years ago but when Islam inter to our country we just suffer until now and now you came to our country and you will come to Iran too in the name of helping and humanity and what we see is opposite with what you say
  our people should suffer even from you even from American even from christian really fuck all of religion
  anyway
  long live America Afghanistan and Iran too
Jim RockfordMarch 29, 2011 at 5:02 pmReply

What a stark contrast to the GI’s of WW2 who fed children of villages they freed in Europe and the Pacific theater. And you see them carrying kids who had been injured. This is what happens when the madness on TV and on video games that these current troops were weaned on, and indeed made into the mindless killers they are. These people who corrupted them need held accountable. This is today’s holocaust.
- Mo RogersMarch 30, 2011 at 1:34 pmReply
  
  History is always written by the winning side and so the movies you see from it… atrocities have been happening since the cave man and used to be worse in the past (i.e. Geghis Khan).
  Have you forgotten the beheadings? they are not addicted to video games as far as I know. Please don’t think the arm forces are like those thugs.
Murtaza ShaikhApril 1, 2011 at 8:48 amReply

This is a a horrable act from the American. What they want to show bu killing innocent people. This act is certainly noy acceptable.
The american president should take a strong action on this. Whay he is still calm on this incident.
Max PowerApril 1, 2011 at 10:45 amReply

War is ugly, always has been. Get used to it or close your eyes.
- Brett WilkinsApril 1, 2011 at 11:48 amReplyAuthor
  
  Or open people’s eyes so they can see how ugly it is and demand their government put an end to imperialist wars of choice.
Roberto WarnerApril 1, 2011 at 3:50 pmReply

Support our troops!! yea yea!
- duduApril 2, 2011 at 3:06 pmReply
  
  roberto i wish afghan forces would come to ur place n do the same as ur troops r doing there then i would like to get ur comments.
WesternApril 5, 2011 at 3:32 pmReply

Not shocked that this happened just shocked it wasn’t stopped earlier. Wow can’t believe it. What has the world come to
Patrick FakelastnameJuly 24, 2011 at 4:37 pmReply

These men , are not men they are monster , who need to be killed
- Brett WilkinsJuly 24, 2011 at 4:51 pmReplyAuthor
  
  Which men, the U.S. troops or the Afghans they kill?
Chris SissonOctober 19, 2011 at 11:46 amReply

What this article is saying is that every member of the US Military throws their power around like a tyrant. This is not true. This accounts for less than one percent of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. The rest of us get a bad reputation because of jackasses like this guy, like any social group. Look at Muslims for example. They’re one of the most peaceful religions in history, yet they’re under constant suspicion due to the actions of one very small fraction of them.
- Brett WilkinsOctober 19, 2011 at 12:50 pmReplyAuthor
  
  Atrocities are committed by far more than 1% of U.S. troops. I’m currently in the process of writing a book about this; war crimes and atrocities are extremely commonplace in the War on Terror. Good soldiers do bad things in wartime; I cannot claim to understand the pressures these men and women are under. Still, to say that “only 1%” engage in terrible behavior is really underestimating the extent of U.S. atrocities and war crimes.
swmNovember 2, 2011 at 6:25 pmReply

People defending a a KID to be killed like that! WOW.

This just bursts the bubble that I live in. All people are not nice, there are quit more psychopaths than you would think.
sylvia martinNovember 2, 2011 at 7:50 pmReply

This is NOT how I expect soldiers from a “free” and democratic nation to behave. Shame on those desecrating the bodies. The Afghanistan people are not the enemy. And because of the inappropriate behaviour of few, members of the western world are now perceived as the enemy, as the animal, as the jackel. Shame. Shame. Shame.
i love iranNovember 6, 2011 at 1:20 pmReply

مرگ بر منافق
مرگ بر آمریکا
مرگ بر اسرائیل
مرگ بر انگلیس
مرگ بر آل سعود
مرگ بر آل خلیفه
مرگ بر وهابیت
•••══════•••══════•••══════•••══════•••
Down with hypocrites
Down with America
Down with Israel
Down with Britain
Down with Al Saudi Al Arabia
Down with Al Khalifa
Down with Wahhabism
•••══════•••══════•••══════•••══════•••
الموت للمنافقین
الموت لامیرکا
الموت لاسرائیل
الموت لبریطانیا
الموت لآل سعود
الموت لآل خلیفة
الموت للوهابیة
i love iranNovember 6, 2011 at 2:22 pmReply

ما همــــــــه قاســـــــــــم سلیمانـــــــــــــــــــــــی هستیم
We’re all Qassem S o l e i m a n i
برای کشتن این مرد باید از روی جنازه ی خیلی ها رد شوید
To kill this man should be denied many of the dead
LalaNovember 10, 2011 at 10:21 pmReply

I don’t understand why a 15-yr old child was butchered? Even the idea of luring children with candy just so American soldiers on this kill team could slaughter them in a hail of automatic gunfire is absolutely one of the most sickening things I’ve read in a while. I didn’t think I’d honestly be able to say such a thing because I literally just finished reading the entire grand jury indictment against Jerry Sandusky. What have the children ever done? Why lash out against those who are unable to defend themselves? This is the behavior of cowards. I’m sure to most Americans candy isn’t even considered a luxury, candy here is ubiquitous & taken for granted. Can you imagine how excited & happy those small Afghan children would be to catch just a few pieces of candy from a U.S. soldier? Those little kids who don’t get enough to eat every day, who don’t have shoes, I’m sure feel like they’ve won a prize since they don’t often get to experience life’s small pleasures like getting to eat a silly piece of candy. These “American soldiers”, and I use that term loosely, are nothing but predatory scum that use the American military as an avenue/outlet for their own twisted & perverted desires. Disgusting. This is absolutely the antithesis of defending our freedoms.
ParamisseNovember 12, 2011 at 8:51 pmReply

I can’t stop crying this soldiers were insane so much
I am Iranian and Afghan or Iranian need help and look instead helping us what they do with us they even killed a 15 years old child in a bad way
America if you come to our country with this shape all of us will fight with you I’m 22 years old female transgender and I want to make you sure Iranian never can suffer such treatment so be careful with us !
bosniaDecember 13, 2011 at 5:14 amReply

fuck the Jews and the Americans … You will receive Allah’s punishment
h3December 29, 2011 at 2:11 amReply

the us people have a right question : why the Asian and Islamic people hate us and uk and many west country ? i say this to you . your country killed many of our brother your country think the west is better from Asian and Islamic people .for that pic and many more without any pic