Pakistan Soldiers Appear To Execute Civilians On New Tape (VIDEO)

New footage of Pakistan soldiers allegedly executing a group of six civilians has surfaced online, raising troubling questions about the country's stance as a key ally in the U.S. fight against the Taliban, Al-Jazeera reports.

In the grainy video, which appears to have been shot on a cell phone or other low-quality mobile device, uniformed troops purportedly line up a pack of six bound and blindfolded young men before shooting them.

Pakistani officials are so far dismissed the video's legitimacy, calling it "jihadist propaganda" which may have been distributed by the Taliban. U.S. authorities say the investigation is currently ongoing, as law forbids funding foreign military units singled out for human rights violations. "Human rights and the issue of extra-judicial killings has been a part of our ongoing conversation ... with Pakistan," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told Reuters.

Watch Al-Jazeera's full report on the video here (warning: contains graphic images):

Comments

[US Army Vet]

04:40 AM on 10/03/2010

Information is far too limited to start jumping to conclusions. The uniform switch-a-roo has been done before. May God rest their souls.

[SaulZ]

09:23 PM on 10/02/2010

It is a controversial video and the source is even more controversial. It seems like second phase of destabilizing Pakistan by now trying to turn an evil Taliban movement into a pious and legitimate Pushtoon movement. The source is definitely Afghanistan from the way the association is named. It is not from Pakistani Pushtoon areas. Pakistani Pushtoons don't pronounce the word as Pushtoon.

[Susan Shaffer]

09:54 PM on 10/02/2010

that is right they call themselves pathan. ethnically they are the same people

[Gurg]

12:02 AM on 10/03/2010

No self righteous Pashtoon would ever call him or herself a pathan. The proper term is Pashtoon or Pakhtoon.

[Susan Shaffer]

07:32 PM on 10/03/2010

can't reply lower down
i cannot find a complete version of this video
the only link provided did not go to it
one person has said that they are speaking urdu. so i wondered if the original version has the voice of the commander
my husband can tell where someone is from by their accent and how they speak urdu and I would love to get his opinion on the original

[Big Boss Man]

07:53 PM on 10/02/2010

This won't get much media play because it wasn't Americans acting badly.

[PigsOnSoma]

09:02 PM on 10/02/2010

It is disturbing and disgusting behavior, and you don't understand the issues when you believe we only get upset when the US is involved. Just understand that the behavior of US citizens reflects on us Americans as a people - this reflects on them.

[Big Boss Man]

09:19 PM on 10/02/2010

Why should the bad behavior of any one individual reflect badly on an entire group. Are you not one of those people who say we should not condemn all muslims when there is an act of terror? America has over 300 million people. Of course there will be bad apples. If I was to do something bad, it should by no means reflect badly on you or any other American.

[US Army Vet]

04:41 AM on 10/03/2010

You are so right boss man! Fan!

[Susan Shaffer]

04:16 PM on 10/02/2010

as disturbing as the footage is, the reporter is saying they are killing civilians. what makes you think they are civilians? does the taliban have a uniform? no they wear what everyone else wears, the shalwar and kameez

i do not have enough knowledge about guns as some of you have debated

they say this happened in swat

last year in swat the pakistani army had an offensive against the taliban that were controlling the area. as backward as pakistan is in many ways they actually have a nationalised, computerised id card. hard plastic like a credit card with security features. some people cannot sign their names. all cards have info about family relations and also thumb prints.
when the army went into swat they had set up refugee camps and allowed all those people who had their national id card to go to the camps. what was left was non pakistanis. they got rid of them.
one of the principles of islam is that all moslem men must be circumcised as babies. like the jews.
they found that the taliban were not circumcised and therefore not moslems.

here is the link

http://www.pakspectator.com/indians-fighting-in-swat-pictures-proof/

btw, i didn't see a date on this video. it could have been taken any time

[SaulZ]

09:24 PM on 10/02/2010

Very well said.

[Susan Shaffer]

06:36 PM on 10/04/2010

you know we were in usa travelling around over dec/jan last year and my 5 year old son was stopped getting on the plane because his name is on a watch list. things were smoothed out but it happened every time. Now I wonder how is it that a country as poor as pakistan can manage to pull off a nationalised computerised id card system but the us cannot tidy up its watch list.
So I think this national id system is actually paid for by us. the reason is that even foreign pakistanis are eligible for the card. the database connects all family members and where they live in pakistan. the appeal to get the card is that you can get visa free entry but it also means "they" know when you have entered the country. the other benefit of the card is that you can open bank accounts and buy land. with computerisation of everything it is very easy to watch the flow of money into those accounts and it is easier to track the flow of money

[Ruszn]

04:14 PM on 10/04/2010

So if they were not Muslims and were really Talibans you approve killing them in a Nazi concentration camp like manner? What is the difference between the ignorant, fundamentalist, uncivilised Talibans and the Pakistani military? Pakistan military is supposed to be a responsible institution and instituitions in the civilized world dont kill people just becuase they were not circumcised or were Talibans. The truth is this white elephant is sinking in the mess that itself created on a false notion of patriotism and rivalry with India to justify its wrongdoings. Pakistanis have been let down by them time and again and its time they get rid of them.

[Ruszn]

02:11 PM on 10/02/2010

I am not surprised if it was a real video. Pakistani military has done it in Bangladesh in 1971, has been doing it in Balochistan in its fifth and most brutal campaign against Baloch activists since 2003 and certainly has the capacity and cunningness to do it in Swat as well.
I am surprised though, to read some of the comments that equate the military and its wrongdoings with ordinary Pakistanis. Pakistani military does not represent Pakistani public. Its the establishment that rules and plunders the masses of this beleaguered country. They are on top of the hierarchical food chain of power in Pakistan followed by the bearucracy, judiciary and media. Politicians and politics were tossed around by the military and bearucrats prior to the so called rejuvanation of the judiciary and media during the Mushraf era. Now it seems each one of them is having its turn for having fun with democracy and democratic institutions in the country. Instead of reforming the judiciary at the lower level to truly serve the poor masses of the country the free and mighty Supreme Court and its clever Chief Justice is after decade old cases against President Zardari who may not be innocent but definitely does not deserve all that fuss at the cost of suffering for the common massess. Media is busy playing prediction games on the fall of the democratic government. Military and bearucracy meanwhile are at their free will to molest this nation and its masses.

[Susan Shaffer]

04:28 PM on 10/02/2010

i happen to know something about these baloch uprisings as my husband is a pakistani politician. there has been militancy within pakistan and each time the army has been able to overcome the militants they found they had foreign made weapons. the four countries that are supplying weapons are Russia, China, Iran and India. The feeling is that these countries want to drag usa into a proxy war in pakistan.

lets be plain about it. war is not a nice business. if you are upset by these images then imagine what your sons see and do all the time if they are in the service.

[Gurg]

12:11 AM on 10/03/2010

So now we're really supposed to believe you because your husband is a pakistani politician? Oh, your opinion is not biased at all.

Try again.

[UKVisitor]

02:59 AM on 10/03/2010

And where do the Kashmiri separatists get their weapons from?
Sorry, but Pakistan is spiralling to disaster and it's no one else's fault.

[Umme Omar]

12:37 PM on 10/03/2010

Ruazn,

The Pakistan military is doing everything it can to protect the people of Pakistan. The Talibans on the other hand are bombing and killing Pakistani people every day. Are you an Indian? I am asking this because these talibans use weapons made in India (alongwith other countries). So obviously you do not support Pakistan military. It is as easy as A, B, C. Indians fund talibans, support talibans and ndian military is committing serious brutalities against the people of its occupied Kashmir. So they need something to distract the world from Kashmir...C,D,E.

[Ruszn]

04:35 PM on 10/04/2010

Please dont call me an Indian because I am not. I attribute this mentality to the years of brain washing that has inculcated the minds of Pakistanis that anybody who speaks against the military must be an Indian or an agent of CIA, MOSAD or RAW. Coming to your point Talibans are Pakistanis too, they were created and trained by the Pakistani military using funding from CIA. Military is not protecting anybody, its protecting its power. Who were those 90,000 cowards who surrendered when it was time to protect? They instead prefered to go to Indian prisons. Ask yourself who are they protecting? And if you are sane enough you would know its not Pakistan.

[Susan Shaffer]

06:25 PM on 10/04/2010

i think he is balochi

[Progressneeded]

12:48 PM on 10/02/2010

Appear to ? What so you think we pay them to do?

[LiLLy666]

10:04 AM on 10/02/2010

USLaw prohibits funding foreign military units with human rights violations... I didn't know we had such laws.... What will other countries do.. Say like Israel??? No what am i thinking they don't commit crimes against their own civilians only occupied civilians... Guess Pakistan is screwed bc they don't have a lobby in the US to buy and dictate US policy in their region.....

Good job America for applying the law when it counts.....and "investigating"

[ezeques]

11:26 AM on 10/02/2010

How about some human responsibilities along with those human rights? Even the ancient Greeks figured that one out.

[Eddie1967]

08:16 AM on 10/02/2010

Reading all of these comments proves that most white people are ignorant, mindless racist.

[ChaCubed]

11:30 AM on 10/02/2010

Responding to stereotyping with stereotyping is an odd choice.

[UKVisitor]

03:01 AM on 10/03/2010

I'm not sure that white people are any different to any other colour of people.

[CANTHATBE]

07:56 AM on 10/02/2010

I am more concerned about what my team is doing. That is the one the USA people are supposed to have control over. Where are those war crime videos. The press should quit trying to manipulate this war and reporting only their own propaganda.

[rgilley]

06:20 AM on 10/02/2010

Civilians being executed in Pakistan is a pretty commonplace event I suspect.

[schmellnick]

08:02 AM on 10/02/2010

Yeah, so who cares, right?

[Susan Shaffer]

04:30 PM on 10/02/2010

how do we know they are civilians. if they are taliban do you think they wear a uniform? it would be sure easier for the us troops if they did

[Gurg]

12:13 AM on 10/03/2010

Are you condoning executions? Civilian or not whithout a proper trial it's a crime.

[bbossin]

05:34 AM on 10/02/2010

So when US troops drop bombs from drones on Pakistanis it is acceptable and moral?
Or is it moral when US troops execute Afghans in the field, as reported by Seymour Hearst?
Or is it moral when our allies in Afghanistan executed 3000 captured Taliban at the beginning of this war?

Somehow I am supposed to be shocked at Pakistani cruelty? Violating the rules of war?

These wars are immoral. End US involvement.

[Dukedraven]

04:57 AM on 10/02/2010

What is the UN going to about this?

[bbossin]

05:38 AM on 10/02/2010

What is the UN gonna do about our side executing 3000 captured Taliban at the beginning of this war.

Exactly what the UN is gonna do to Pakistanis. Nothing.

Remember when Seymour Hersh's reported of US soldiers executing Afgans in the field. The UN did what they usually do about it. They did nothing.

[Dukedraven]

12:29 AM on 10/03/2010

Probably.

[stootch]

03:04 AM on 10/02/2010

heathens. if only they'd found Jesus.

[rgilley]

06:22 AM on 10/02/2010

Jesus , Mohammad , abraham....these are the very reasons we are fighting there now.

"Imagine No Religion."

[longtimegone]

10:11 PM on 10/02/2010

They have nothing to do with why we are fighting there now. A gullible public requires only suitable lies to be led, docile as sheep to be shorn or slaughtered.

[UKVisitor]

03:02 AM on 10/03/2010

It's not religion, it's politics which is really a short hand for economics.

[GonzoLoungeLizard]

02:15 AM on 10/02/2010

They must have drawn cartoons of the "prophet"

[notdarkyet]

11:10 PM on 10/01/2010

Fixin to die song
Afghanistan version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ3o4a-gRgI&feature=related