An Army court will decide this week whether to review and perhaps reduce the life sentence of a soldier who massacred Afghan civilians — and in the process it will judge a controversial malaria drug given to troops that is known to cause hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, left, is shown during an exercise at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, August 23, 2011. Bales is suspected of shooting, stabbing and burning sleeping villagers in a horrific attack that has sparked fury across Afghanistan. Bales is suspected of shooting, stabbing and burning sleeping villagers in a horrific attack that has sparked fury across Afghanistan.
Attorneys for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the serviceman convicted in 2013 of killing 16 Afghans in the worst U.S. military massacre since Vietnam, are expected to raise the soldier’s use of mefloquine, also known by the brand name Lariam, before or during his deployment.
IF the Taliban could evolve from a paramilitary organisation into a political one, and engage with the standing government in Kabul, that would, perhaps, be a hopeful direction; I am, however, not holding my breath quite yet, that it is actually possible right now.