“Here are two versions of what happened the night of March 11, when 17 Afghan villagers were shot to death.
“First, the Army version: Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, troubled by marriage woes, drunkenly left Camp Belambai, 12 miles from Kandahar, with a pistol and an automatic rifle and killed six people as they slept. Bales then returned to the base and left again for another village, this time killing 11. He acted alone and he admitted to the killings, according to the Army.
“Then there is the account that child witnesses provided Yalda Hakim, a journalist for SBS Dateline in Australia. Hakim, who was born in Afghanistan and immigrated to Australia as a child, is the first international journalist to interview the surviving witnesses. She said American investigators tried to prevent her from interviewing the children, saying her questions could traumatize them. She said she appealed to village leaders, who arranged for her to interview the witnesses.”
I obviously don’t know what happened, though I do know the Army’s story doesn’t pass the smell test. How was it there was that much gunfire so close to the base and no one investigated? Did they think civilians were shooting that much in the middle of the night? How did the guy get out twice and not be missed?
Remembering Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch I don’t believe the Army’s story. I don’t know if the little girl’s story is true, but her’s seems more credible.