Has anyone else heard of these mass grave sites in Dasht-i-Laili Afghanistan? Apparently almost a thousand Taliban prisoners (including children), were found buried in them. Apparently they were shipped of in containers which lacked ventilation, after a riot at a Qali Jangi holding centre. All of them died of suffocation, and were buried en route at Dasht-i-Laili.

The militia leader who's forces allegedly carried out the killings is Abdul Rashid Dostum, one of the most ruthless warlords in Afghanistan. This guy, along with many other warlords, are aiding the U.S in the search for Taliban fighters. The U.S does seem to make some questionable allies, like hmmmm, the Taliban around 20 years back.

I guess my point is, you can support how the U.S is going about responding to the attacks of 911, thats your opinion. But don't try to tell me that theyre trying to help the situation in Afghanistan. As soon as they withdraw they're forces, the war lords will sieze back the power they once had before the Taliban overshadowed them (and who gace the Taliban the training and supplies to become as powerful as they did?).

Anyway, the the united states government is being questioned by the U.N on wether it knew about these attrocities. Considering theres video evidence that U.S soldiers fought along side Dostum's forces, I find it doubtful that they didn't.

Just keeping this thread alive so someone can reply to it. Why hasn't anyone? This is actuall news, not just someone bitching about how the u.s is bad.

Very good point, I read about that too. The US forces were on a mission to eliminate Al Quaida and find Bin Laden, they needed the Northern Alliance for intelligence and local knowledge as well as manpower. As no formal declaration of war was made against Afganistan and it was never America's intention to conquer the country, they were forced into making a dubious alliance to succeed in their goals. Turning a blind eye to the activities of the warlords was an unfortunate yet necessary action as once the Taliban were ousted and a formal government installed Allied forces responsibilities greatly diminished. The majority of Afghans had a lot of hatred for the Taliban and maybe they felt those people deserved to die. Essentially the country had to rebuild itself from scratch so setting up a democracy in the western model was always going to be a monumentous task. In many third world countries such as India and Pakistan, local "warlords/rulers" still hold power through their rural communities which had established tribal boundaries before the Colonists started dividing land a few hundred years ago. I believe America did a good job in Afghanistan, although the present situation is not perfect its a hell of a lot better than what it used to be.

I agree with you to some extent. This is a difficult situation, and its not easy for the u.s to make sure everything is perfect. But I see nothing wrong with the government being under fairly constant public scrutiny. Especially in cases like this. If they did know about this, then they should be put on trial, along with the northern alliance. I mean, this is a war crime. There shouldn't be any exceptions as to who gets punished when it comes to war crimes.

Its situations like this which caused the US to "opt out" of the UN international war court, thus exempting forces from prosecution. I can empathise with you but legally its a very tricky situation unless you have a good grasp of the intricacies of law, which I for one don't. At present you could only say they guilty by association. On the other hand, the imprisonment of Taliban members at Camp X-ray is flawed. They are being held without counsel, no official charges have been brought up against them. Are they being held as "prisoners of war" or civilians accused of terrorist acts? Its a waste of resources just holding them there, its about time charges were made and these people punished properly.

"its about time charges were made and these people punished properly."
or let them go home. if they did nothing wrong (that you know of), then let them go. you can't defend liberty with tyranny.

Very true, hence the need for trials and proper legal intervention.

I can honestly say i have never ever heard of this before. Its a outrage to believe it ever even happened. So it did though. Whats to say that if the same circumstances had happened in America. But there was mass rioting. It could happen anywhere not just in Afghanistan.

Peace Renegade,

Haha, our good friend Dostrum.

I was writing an article about the old fella but never finished it.

The problem with the warlords, is that thats the way afghanistan has traditionally been governed. It kept the nutheads out of power by not giving anyone overall power in the region.

As soon as the russians were repelled, the afghans thought that by coming together they would be able to protect themsleves better. Hence the arrivial of the Taliban.

Anyway, the Americans have come in and put a fake government in charge that will soon disintegrate and revert back to warlords. Thats the way it should be. Each country is different and single governments only work properly in western countries were there has been a past history of it working.

Another point about warlords is that most aren't religious zealots and don't wish to harm the west. They're there for all the power, but because most are equal in power, the power struggle in afghanistan is kept in balance.

Although i will mention that some warlords, especially Dostrum, have commited far worse acts on people than the Taliban ever did.