Tag Archives: john allen

Marine General Says Ramadan Fast Prompted Afghan Betrayals

General John Allen has publicly stated that the ‘stress’ of the Islamicly mandated Ramadan fast — which occurred during the heat of the summer this year — contributed to the increase in “insider” attacks by supposed Afghan allies on international (predominantly American) troops:

Gen. John R. Allen, said…that while the reasons for the killings are not fully understood, the effect of Ramadan fasting is likely among the causes.

“The idea that they will fast during the day places great strain on them,” Allen said, adding that the stress Continue reading →

US Soldiers who Burned Korans Receive Punishment

The investigation into the burning of Islamic religious material confiscated from an Afghan prison was reportedly completed, with no one criminally charged or court-martialed.  (Recall that “religious freedom” advocate Michael Weinstein had demanded the court-martial of these Christians — without explaining how he knew what, if any, faith they held.)  Administrative “non-judicial punishments” were meted out for the error, which was determined not to be malicious:  Continue reading →

US Soldiers Get Coined by General

A recent Army article noted that the commander of forces in Afhganistan “coined” members of the US military for their exceptional performance:

Marine Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan…presented ISAF commander coins to six soldiers surrounded by their friends and fellow service members during a mid-day ceremony here.

After listing the accomplishments of the soldiers, the article included this summary of the tradition:  Continue reading →

General Allen: Why Wouldn’t We Apologize?

The Commander of US and coalition troops in Afghanistan, General John Allen, gave an interview to ABCNews in which he “dismissed criticism” over the profuse American apologies over the Koran burning in Afghanistan.

“Why wouldn’t we [apologize]?” the general asked. “This is the central word of God for them. Why wouldn’t we? We didn’t do it on purpose but we should apologize and we did.”

Interestingly, when the US military burned the central word of God for Christians, on purpose, it didn’t apologize.  In fact, it defended the need to put the Bibles in the trash.  Why wouldn’t we apologize?  Good question.

Meanwhile, other reports indicate all US troops have been given “mandatory refresher training” on handling Korans.  Few Continue reading →

US Military Implicates Five Soldiers in Quran Burning

Various reports indicate the US military has identified five soldiers (and an Afghan-American interpreter) who are “responsible” for burning the Quran at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.  The Islamic holy texts (which were reportedly defiled by Islamic detainees) were among more than 1,600 books and other materials intended for destruction due to their apparent use by detainees to pass messages.

The probe launched by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John R. Allen, is still underway, but five soldiers were involved in the incident, NBC News reported Friday.

A careful reading of the reports indicates it is possible not a single one of the five involved knew there were Korans among the texts. 

Obviously, the results of the American investigation were made public to some end, which may only fuel the calls for Americans to be put on trial in Afghanistan (including by the Afghan President):

Afghanistan’s senior religious leaders have said that an Continue reading →

American Soldiers to Face Trial over Quran Burning?

Reuters reported last week that Afghanistan wants NATO to put the “Koran burners” on trial — and Afghanistan reportedly claimed NATO had agreed to a trial, though Reuters qualified the statement as not “immediately verified.”

“NATO officials, in response to a request for the trial and punishment of the perpetrators…promised this crime will brought to court as soon as possible,” Karzai’s office said in a statement.

While it is unlikely NATO actually made such a concession — NATO has already said the burning was “inadvertent” and there is no crime against burning Korans in the Western world — the confusion may be understandable. Even President Obama’s Continue reading →

NATO Investigates Disposal of Korans, but not Bibles

Update: A State Department spokesman has said the burn pit disposal ”does not represent our values or our view of how the Quran ought to be treated.”  While it is understandable the US government would support a respectful treatment of religious articles, it is unclear why it holds unequal views of respect depending on the religion, as described below.  Protests continue.

NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen John Allen has reportedly called for a probe of the treatment of Korans and other religious items used by detainees at the American run Bagram Air Base:

Local Afghan leader, Ahmad Zaki Zahed, says U.S. military officials have given him about 30 Korans and other religious books that were used by detainees once incarcerated at the base.

He says some were burned, but others were retrieved from the trash before they were burned.

The response of the Afghans was typically reported:  Continue reading →

Soldiers, US Army Observe Ramadan in Afghanistan

The International Security Assistance Force, led by US Army Gen. John R. Allen and Ambassador Simon Gass, hosted an Islamic iftar in Afghanistan, the meal that breaks the daily fast of Ramadan.  Afghan leaders were thankful:

Defense Minister of Afghanistan Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak [said] “This is actually a demonstration of the upmost respect for our beliefs, our faith, our traditions and our culture…”

As noted in a US Army article, Islamic US Army Soldiers at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, are observing Ramadan with others of their faith.

As Soldiers engaged in war, the Islamic faith technically exempts them from fasting during Ramadan, but at least one Soldier has chosen to Continue reading →