As the U.S. military pursues charges against the Army sergeant accused of killing Afghan civilians in what commanders say was a freelance rampage, there continues to be a discrepancy between the official count of those killed and the murder count Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is charged with.
The word of 17 murders first leaked Thursday evening. Earlier that same day the commander of all U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan made no mention of the number being higher.
"Just as tragic, we're now investigating what appears to be the murder of 16 innocent Afghan civilians at the hand of a U.S. servicemember," Gen. John Allen told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
On Friday, Bales was charged with 17 counts of murder "with premeditation" in the March 11 slayings in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. But Afghan authorities have said there were 16 people killed in the Panjwai killings.
Sunday, two Afghan provincial council members said the United States has paid the victims' families a total of $860,000 - $10,000 for each of the six wounded survivors, and $50,000 apiece for the 16 dead.
Afghan government officials in Kabul have said they have no record of another death. A U.S. official confirmed that a payment had been made on Saturday - but the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation, said he could not comment on the figure involved.
The discrepancy has persisted since Friday, when the charge sheet on Bales listed four women among 17 victims, while initial U.S. and Afghan reports listed three women among 16 dead.
A NATO spokesman, Col. Gary Kolb, said Friday only that investigators assigned to the case felt they had evidence to charge Bales with 17 counts of murder.
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please consider signing my petition for SGT Bales at http://www.change.org/petitions/no-death-penalty-for-sgt-bales
What I would like to know is why is SSG Bale (American possible your religion) being placed in the fast lane for trial and so high in the news for snapping for whatever reason, while Major Nidal Hasan (Muslim) who killed 13 and injuried many more during a shooting on american soil US ARMY INSTALLATION is chilling in a holding for over 2 years while your tax dollars pay for it??????? please do a F**KING STORY ON THAT!!!
so, we are 'paying' for our mistakes.– who have been rounded up and tried for their cowardly killings of our brave and i will add 'volunteer HERO'S " who have given the ultimate. how much is that two-faced karzai going to pay to their families?? we all know the answer-– BIG fat ZERO- UNLESS of course the good ole USA were to pay it for them.
Amazing! Here our Justice Department (really) has charged this veteran of 3 or 4 deployments, affirmed brain damage with murder and the person (Major Hassan, an avowed muslim) is still being evaluated for insanity because he had to set and listen to the soldiers recount the horrors of war. He is his "duty" sitting behind a desk. His motive was clear "Slay as many infidels as possible" and screamed "allah akbar" as he shot up a Ft Hood processing center for our men going to fight in Irag and Afghanistan. This is justice. Horrors.
my thoughts exactly! This is bull
Let's not shed any more blood for Israel, nor squander our treasure.
Down with criminal Israel.
Jewsagainstzionism.com
Are you serious!? The Gov. paid these families over 860,000 dollars total? How about the families that get murdered in the States, "OUR HOME COUNTRY," WHERE IS THEY'RE MONEY FOR THE DEAD? This money will only go to buying more weapons and explosives to further harm U.S. and Coalition forces here in Afghanistan. Good job USA!! Support the Afghans more than you support your own citizens...Good freaking job!!
Cry me a river.
John Doe, not that money is ever enough to compensate a family that has lost a loved one.... but just so you are made aware... my life insurance while i was in Iraq would have paid my family $800,000 had i died in Iraq. Not trying to squelch your outrage, just letting you know the facts.... each soldier's life is insured.
Yea I was in the military not too long ago as well and the life insurence was pretty amazing. I just figure, hundreds of tax paying citizens get murdered every week in our country that cannot afford life insurence. Yet we would jump at the chance to pay an equal to life insurence to counties citizens that we know are against us. I don't understand the logic in this. It demoralizes our citizens further as well as they're confidence in the government. Its common sense that if the Taliban found out we gave that amount of money to those families, they will go after them and use that money for weapons and explosives. Plus as you said. No amount of money is worth a life. These people are already fanatics, there is no doubt that 2 or even three of these families will use this money to support the Taliban.
... என ன ய ம அற ம கப பட த த னத க க நன ற தல அற ம கப பட த த ம வ தம ர ம ப அர ம ய இர க க .//வ ங க!!! அக பர , மக ழ ச ச !!நன ற அக பர . // r.v.saravanan said... ஆச ர யர பண க க வ ழ த த கள .ந ங க வல ச சரம ச ன ற இட க ய ட ட ல ம ச வ ரச யம க ற யவ ல ல கலக க ங க//ம க க நன ற சரவணன .// ஜ ல தண ண said... ர ட ட கண ட ப ப இந த வல ச சரம ட ப ப த ன இந த ம த ரய நச ச ன பத வர கள ஊக க வ த த ல ச ப பர நன ற ப ர ட ட !!எல ல ர ய ம இப பவ ஃப ள பண ற ன //மக ழ ச ச !!! நன ற ஜ ல தண ண . //ஜ ய ல ன said... ப த ப ப த பர ட ட வ இர க க ..//அப ப றம என ன, நல ல ச ப ப ட ங க
நன ற ஜ ய ல ன . // philosophy pakrhaabran said... வ ச பக கங கள கத இரண ட ம அட டக சம ...//பட ச ச ச ச !!! நன ற ப ரப கரன . // இர மச ம கண ணண said... நல ல அற ம கங கள நண பர . த டரட ட ம உங கள நற பண .//த டர ஊக கங கள க க நன ற ர ம .// Starjan ( ஸ ட ர ஜன ) said... ப ர ட ட இன ற நல ல ர ச , ட ஸ ட இர க க .. எல ல ம நல ல அற ம கங கள .அக பர இன ற க ற ப ப ட டத க க ம க க நன ற ..//அப பட ய !!! அப ப , ஸ ட ர ஜன ச ர க க ர ண ட பர ட ட ப சல 
)நன ற ஸ ட ர ஜன .
"We don't do body counts."
- Gen. Tommy Franks
News conference at Bagram Air Base, March, 2002
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/send-in-the-drones/
well investigation should be carried out.