WHY KILLER BALES SHOULD HAVE BEEN TRIED IN AFGHANISTAN

When US Staff Sergeant Robert Bales engaged in his killing spree in Afghanistan, it brought to light a host of uneasy questions regarding the entire Afghan situation.

     Since military operations began in 2003, the vast majority of people in Britain and America have questioned whether our forces should be fighting in a country that appears to have little bearing on our own national security.

     Can Afghan's ever trust the West again?

The conflict - now nearly a decade old - is still largely unresolved and there are little signs our military intervention will bring about a successful conclusion.

     However, Sergeant Bales appalling actions have greatly exacerbated tensions between the Western Powers operating in Afghanistan, and the legitimate Afghan government, fronted by President Hamid Karzai.

     By killing 16 civilians in cold blood, the Afghan administration has rightly stated that Bales should be subject to their courts.  However, the US has refused to countenance this, insisting Bales will be tried under American jurisdiction, in America, by a US Military Tribunal.

     This resolution has led President Karzai to accuse the US of non-cooperation, even leading to suggestions that the US are trying to 'cover-up' the truth behind the killings.

     It is hard, however, to disagree with Karzai's assessment.  These murders were committed on Afghan soil, and their ramifications directly affect the Afghan people.  Although it is clear Sergeant Bales was obviously suffering from a form of psychological breakdown, his crimes should be accounted for in the country they were committed, and subject to their jurisdiction.

     The people of Afghanistan are already disillusioned by the military presence of the West in their country.  Thousands have died since operations began and no Generals' are predicting a swift conclusion to the affair. 

     By whisking Staff Sergeant Bales off to the US to account for his crimes, it is impossible to see how Afghan civilians will believe Bales will be tried fairly by US authorities.  If, however, Bales had been subject to Afghan Law, this may have impacted positively on the perception held by the people of Afghanistan towards the Western forces as a whole.  For the first time the people of Afghanistan would have seen that British and American troops were really cooperating to help them defeat the Taliban, and by trying Bales under Afghan Law, we are entrusting their government and institutions to investigate this sickening crime.

     Sergeant Bales actions, and the subsequent way the US has chosen to deal with those actions, has simply fuelled the fires of disillusion present within Afghanistan.  No matter what outcome is reached regarding Bales crimes, it is impossible to see how the Afghan people will ever place trust in Western military forces again.