Afghanistan Soldier Photos: Karzai Calls Images Of US Troops Posing With Corpses 'Disgusting'

Afghan President Hamid Karzai gestures as he delivers a speech to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the father of Afghanistan journalism, Mahmood Tarzi in Kabul on April 17, 2012. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned photographs of U.S. soldiers posing with the bloodied remains of three suicide bombers as "disgusting" and said Thursday that only a quicker exit of international forces can prevent such missteps.

Karzai joined top American officials in denouncing that 2-year-old photos, the latest in a string of embarrassing controversies that have jeopardized relations between the two countries in the midst of negotiations over the withdrawal of foreign troops.

He also warned that "similar incidents of an odious nature" in the past sparked angry reactions from Afghans, including violent protests that left dozens dead, although there was no immediate sign of a popular backlash.

The photos were published in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times. One shows members of the 82nd Airborne Division posing in 2010 with Afghan police holding the severed legs of a suicide bomber. The same platoon a few months later was sent to investigate the remains of three insurgents reported to have accidentally blown themselves up – and soldiers again posed and mugged for a photo with the remains, the newspaper said.

A photo from the second incident appears to show the hand of a dead insurgent resting on a U.S. soldier's shoulder as the soldier smiles.

"It is such a disgusting act to take photos with body parts and then share it with others," Karzai said. "The only way to put an end to such painful experiences is through an accelerated and full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces."

The Afghan government is currently scheduled to start taking the lead in security in 2013 and fully take over by the end of 2014 when the majority of international combat troops leave. It was not clear what Karzai meant by an "accelerated" transition. Karzai has previously talked about speeding up the handover only to later explain that he meant sticking to the agreed timetable.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also called the pictures disrespectful. He condemned both the U.S. soldiers involved in the pictures and the Afghan police also featured in them.

"We strongly condemn these occupiers and their puppets who are without culture, who are brutal and inhuman," Mujahid said. "Next to these occupiers there are some Afghans – puppets – who were ordered to stand next to the bodies of the martyrs."

On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta apologized and expressed concern the gruesome photos could incite fresh violence against Americans. The White House also called them "reprehensible."

Afghans have had mixed reactions to scandals involving American troops in recent months, including the burning of Muslim holy books, urinating on Afghan corpses and an alleged massacre of 17 Afghan villagers.

After the burning of the Qurans in February, large-scale demonstrations turned violent, leaving more than 30 Afghan civilians and six Americans dead. However, few protests occurred after a video in January when U.S. Marines were found to have recorded themselves urinating on the bodies of dead Afghans.

Many Afghan lawmakers played down the possibility that the newly revealed photos would spark mass protests, saying the general population has little sympathy for suicide bombers, who frequently kill civilians as well as foreign and Afghan security forces. One bomber detonated his explosives-filled vest at the entrance of a mosque in Kabul on Dec. 6, 2011, killing 80 worshippers during the Shiite Muslim rituals of Ashoura. It was the single deadliest suicide attack since 2008.

"It is different from an American soldier going and killing children, or Americans burning holy Qurans. These issues and the suicide bombers are completely different," said Hafiz Mansour, a lawmaker from the northern province of Panjshir.

Several broadcasters mentioned the photos on evening newscasts, but not everyone in Afghanistan owns a television and very few have access to the Internet. No newspapers were published on Thursday and Friday, the Afghan weekend.

Mohammad Naim Lalai Hamidzai, a parliamentarian from southern Kandahar, said protests would only erupt if somebody tried to organize them.

"The burning of Qurans and the killing of children create emotions in people, but there is no sympathy for suicide bombers who kill innocent people," Hamidzai said.

But some in Kandahar city worried that it would give the Taliban justification for more attacks.

"I don't think people will display outrage because these were not normal people, but this kind of thing can mean more Taliban attacks," said Abdul Ghulam Haidari, a restaurant owner.

___

Associated Press writers Patrick Quinn and Heidi Vogt in Kabul and Mirwais Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.

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Comments

[Bills Catz]

02:52 PM on 04/21/2012

So that's a "Furious Karzai, eh? Looks more like a character from an Ahab The Arab comic. Best take into account he wouldn't have a place to flap his jaws if other countries hadn't stepped in. Feed him to the jackals.

[RV9412]

09:55 AM on 04/21/2012

Really?, seriously?, no way. Karzai doesn't care one bit about these photos , but he does want the U.S. out of Afghanistan. He is no different from the Taliban who he replaced, were he different, perhaps little girls could go to school and not be poisoned. Perhaps raped women wouldn't have to marry their rapists or go to prison. Perhaps he'd have no problem with the U.S. forces night raids that have proven so effective, or perhaps the massive "jail breaks" where hundrens of enemy combatants wouldn't occur so frequently. Karzai's stated reaction is theater, in fact Kabuki theater, with its exagerated masks and body actions. We have no mission in Afghanistan and no purpose other than to try and influence a centuries entrenched backwords people who neither want change nor see that a problem with their behavior exists. In the end we will leave their country and they will revert to the stone aged waring tribalism that is their bread and butter., surprise, surprise, surprise.

[JohnnyKay]

09:46 AM on 04/21/2012

Was Karzai furious before or after he left his bed with his harem of young boys, and before or after he tripped over his piles of money scattered over his bedroom from heroin sales to the rest of the world?

Inquiring minds would really like to know......

[butchcliff]

05:40 AM on 04/21/2012

Seems he hasn't shown disgust at all the disgusting things the Taliban have done. Biting the hand that kept him in power. He'll end up on his knees with a blindfold in the centre of the arena soon.

[Meerkatx]

03:12 AM on 04/21/2012

While I agree the photos were wrong to take, are an embarrassment and the soldiers should be removed from duty and probably should face court martial; i'm not keen on Karazi opening his mouth about anything.

He's not lifted a finger to make his country better, but has instead let America do all the heavy lifting. He's going to be in for a surprise the moment the U.S. pulls out and he's being hanged by the local Taliban commander.

[rissole]

12:42 AM on 04/21/2012

Can anyone tell me why Karzai seems to be the only person in Afghanistan who dresses like he does?

[Liban CZ]

09:17 AM on 04/21/2012

He dresses very appropriately, the cape is what puppets wear.

[GarrettHood1]

07:12 PM on 04/20/2012

I didn't realize that the United States [tax-payers] was paying KARZAI billions upon billions of dollars to complain. I think Karzai is using all OUR money to have those matching hat and superhero cape ensembles tailor made.

[Phed Up]

07:08 PM on 04/20/2012

Karzai's furious? What a joke! I'm furious about his corrupt regime, the money the US has paid his corrupt regime and the American lives lost! We need to take care of our own first and foremost. .

[gardenqueen]

06:21 PM on 04/20/2012

Its a really good thing that the person in the While House has a D after his name-this could muck up somebody's re-election chances.

[myopinion2]

04:21 PM on 04/20/2012

It's official. This guy annoys me more than the Taliban. throw him under the bus.

[0u8one2]

02:23 PM on 04/20/2012

They tried to censore soldiers from bringing photos of the same such things that happened in Vietnam.

[0u8one2]

02:19 PM on 04/20/2012

I would think that the release of this type of morbid photos of suicide bombers, not civilians that NATO troops have mistakenly killed, would be less serious than the karan issue. These are enemies that blew themselves up in attempt to kill NATO or afgan civilians. Karzai is acting like we slapped his momma. Photos of the aftermath of their own doing is just that.

[bellsblu2]

01:58 PM on 04/20/2012

I confess that I have NO IDEA why this is a bad thing.

SKA-ROO em.

[Omega2012]

01:26 PM on 04/20/2012

HA!....oh man did they ever bury this story. Once, Twice, Three times a lady!

A moment of honesty here....American troops are clearly undisciplined and seemingly unable to learn or correct anything from past mistakes. Unless this is all part of a larger psy-ops operation...some kind of reverse psychology to intimidate the enemy.
If so, I give this plan 0% chance of success.
More proof that troops do not understand where they are.

[marysheepdog70]

11:53 AM on 04/20/2012

You are stupid if you think that this kind of stuff hasn't gone on for years...during every war...and all the top people know this...but they feel the need to say how disgusted they are about it and I think that they are expected to say this. None of the generals, soldiers, etc. are the least bit shocked about this...it's just kept quiet. War is hell. And someone always has pictures of it. On a personal note, I have no problem with them taking pics of their dead enemies and I am a 60 yr. old white woman.