U.S. Soldiers Accused of Killing Afghan Civilians and Collecting Body Parts as Trophies

The Washington Post reports that:

"Cpl. Jeremy Morlock of Wasilla, Alaska, is among five Stryker soldiers charged with premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder. In interviews with Army investigators, he described a plot led by Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs to randomly kill civilians for sport while on patrol in Kandahar Province.

"Prosecutors have also alleged that members of the platoon mutilated Afghan corpses and even collected fingers and other body parts, and that some posed for photos with Afghan corpses. Morlock talked about how they threw a grenade at a civilian to "wax him." "

"Gibbs had pure hatred for all Afghanis and constantly referred to them as savages," Morlock said in the statement reviewed by the AP."

This story reveals how war disfigures and destroys the human spirit.  As they dehumanize and blindly butcher civilians and enemy soldiers, men devolve into beasts. Unfortunately, this is not an anomaly. Such atrocities have occurred throughout history. To end such barbarism, we must end this unnecessary war.

Several news sources have revealed that Al Qaeda has been defeated in Afghanistan.  U.S. intelligence reports state that less than 100 Al Qaeda members are in Afghanistan.  According to ABC News, "[w]ith 100,000 troops in Afghanistan at an estimated yearly cost of $30 billion, it means that for every one al Qaeda fighter, the U.S. will commit 1,000 troops and $300 million a year."

The U.S. troops must withdraw from Afghanistan now.  How many more U.S. troops and innocent Afghans must die before the Obama Administration ends this war?