Father tried to warn US military of rogue soldiers

The father of one of five US soldiers accused of the worst war crimes in the current Afghan conflict says he tried to warn the army, but his words fell on deaf ears. Christopher Winfield’s son Adam and four other men are said to have killed and committed acts of appalling savagery for sport earlier this year.

It emerged this month that 12 American soldiers from the same platoon in the US army’s 2nd Infantry Division, based in Kandahar, are facing charges at a military court. It is alleged five of the men, including Winfield, Jeremy Morlock (22) and ringleader Calvin Gibbs (25), formed a secret “kill team”, while the others helped cover up the killings.

When approached by unarmed civilians, “team” members would drop a live grenade. On the pretext that the innocent Afghans were responsible for the grenade, they would then open fire.

Starting on January 15 this year, their killing spree is said in military charging papers to have gone on for months. They are accused of dismembering and photographing corpses, with Morlock said to have kept a skull as a trophy and Gibbs supposedly keeping finger bones.

Now Christopher Winfield, a former marine from Cape Coral in Florida, has told the Washington Post that on February 14 he logged on to Facebook to chat with his son. Adam told his father he had had an argument with Gibbs, his squad leader. He added, cryptically, “Some people get away with murder.”

When Winfield senior pressed his son to explain, he typed “Did you not understand what I just told you?” He then referred to the January 15 killing – when Afghan civilian Gul Mudin was shot at the village of La Mohammed Kalay – and said his mates had threatened him because he did not approve.

Christopher Winfield says he was “shocked” by the revelations – and by his son’s fears that further civilians would be targeted. He acted immediately, but as it was a Sunday, could only leave voicemails for the army inspector general, his own senator and the army’s criminal investigations division.

Winfield senior also called the Fort Lewis command centre where he says he had a 12-minute conversation with a duty sergeant who – incredibly – told him there was little the army could do, unless Adam Winfield reported the matter to his superiors.

The Post says Christopher Winfield’s phone bills support his claims – but the US military has refused to comment. Winfield and his wife say they are dismayed that their son is being charged along with the others.

The army finally acted when another whistle-blower from the platoon braved death threats from Gibbs, court documents show. After being beaten savagely by members of his platoon, he went again to military police and raised the alarm.

While the US army acted decisively to bring the rogue soldiers to justice, the Post says top brass are unhappy that the matter has come to court. There is great concern at the damage to the US’s reputation in Afghanistan that the public disclosure of evidence - including photographs of victims - will cause. ·