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‘Died in vain’: US marine slams military leadership over Kabul bombing, is relieved from duty

In Facebook video day after Kabul airport attack, Marine Lt Col Stuart Scheller demands accountability from US military and questions the Afghanistan evacuation plans.

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New Delhi: A US marine who posted a scathing critique of the military’s senior leadership on social media, following the bombing at Kabul airport, was relieved from duty.

Marine Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller took to Facebook Friday to share the news, saying the reason behind his relieving was a “lack of trust and confidence”, but agreed with the decision. “My chain of command is doing exactly what I would do… if I were in their shoes.”

Stating that he will not be make any press statements till he officially exits the force, Scheller also said, “America has many issues… but it’s my home… It’s where my three sons will become men. America is still the light shining in a fog of chaos. When my Marine Corps career comes to an end, I look forward to a new beginning. My life’s purpose is to make America the most lethal and effective foreign diplomacy instrument. While my days of hand to hand violence may be ending…I see a new light on the horizon.”


Also read: Kabul bombings a dark day for Afghanistan and Joe Biden — and a harbinger of worse to come


‘Did anybody say it’s a bad idea?’

In a video message posted earlier Friday, Scheller had demanded accountability and criticised the US military’s evacuation process, saying people “potentially died in vain”.

“Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say, ‘Hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone’?” Scheller, in his uniform, can be seen saying.

“Did anyone do that? And when you didn’t think to do that, did anyone raise their hand and say, ‘We completely messed this up’?”

Scheller was referring to the suicide bombing that took place Thursday at the entrance of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where countless people have been thronging in hopes of being evacuated from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover.  The bombing — believed to have been carried out by IS-Khorasan (IS-K) — left at least 100 Afghans and 13 US troops dead.

Scheller said that one of the people who died was someone he knew, but that alone was not the reason behind his outburst.

“Without that (accountability), the … higher military ranks are not holding up their end of the bargain … I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders, ‘I demand accountability.’”

In a third post, he also shared how, soon after he posted the video, several marines warned him to take it down. “We all agree with you Stu, but nothing will change, and it will come at a huge personal cost to you,” he quoted them as saying.

Following Thursday’s bombing, the US carried out drone strikes on an ‘IS-K planner’, though it remains unclear if the target was associated with airport attack. US President Joe Biden had vowed to take revenge for the attack, saying, “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. Our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.”

(Edited by Manasa Mohan)


Also read: The US may be relying on Taliban to fight Islamic State. It’s a dangerous move


 

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