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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Another Atrocity in the War in Afghanistan

    It's one of the worst war crimes by an American soldier: Sergeant Robert Bales is accused of leaving his base in a remote part of Afghanistan, brutally murdering 16 civilians, including 9 children, and trying to set their bodies on fire. Bales reportedly returned to base afterward and asked for a lawyer.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    It's one of the worst war crimes by an American soldier: Sergeant Robert Bales is accused of leaving his base in a remote part of Afghanistan, brutally murdering 16 civilians, including 9 children, and trying to set their bodies on fire. Bales reportedly returned to base afterward and asked for a lawyer. He'll likely be tried by the military at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Does he have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Is he himself a kind of war victim, or is he a cold-blooded killer who can't be excused in any way? These and other questions will haunt the longest war in American history until long after it's over. We hear some of the early answers today.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Caitlin Shamberg

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      James Dao

      New York Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      David Brahms

      National Institute of Military Justice

    • KCRW placeholder

      Mike Prysner

      March Forward

      NewsNationalPolitics
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