Get Pissed Over the Taliban

I'd been avoiding the topic of the marines' pissing on Afghan bodies (presumably Taliban casualties) in the last few days mostly because I thought the issue was already getting way too much ink. Yes, desecration of bodies is both unlawful and unethical -- and these Marines have been identified and will be punished. It was an isolated incident and is not representative of our soldiers' conduct in the field (If it were, you can bet the media would be running this circus 24/7 with a steady perp walk of assorted Marine miscreants). Case closed.

But if I may use this occasion to point out some small feature of this war in Afghanistan, it is that while incidents like these from our side are given worldwide coverage, the Taliban's serial violations of the Geneva Conventions merit almost no reporting at all.

When was the last time you heard a news report on the Taliban's refusal to wear uniforms? This is a basic requirement of any armed force, allowing armies to distinguish who they are fighting and avoid civilian casualties. The Taliban don't do it. Hell, no jihadist movement in the world does it.

Then there's the Taliban's habit of commandeering homes and mosques to store weapons and conduct ambushes on ISAF forces -- again, putting civilians in harm's way. Not kosher, according to the Geneva Conventions.

How about the Taliban's use of child soldiers? Then again, can you really call the child a "soldier" if all you're doing is strapping on a dynamite belt and sending them over to beg candy from the troops, the better to blow them up at close range? More like "walking IED". Details.

Every single day, Taliban fighters violate the Geneva Conventions. They certainly have never gotten around to signing them. That means they're not covered by them. If NATO were a less ethical organization, they would use this as justification to take much harsher measures, such as the immediate execution of all Taliban prisoners as spies ("No need to send this one to Guantanamo. A bullet to the back of the head will do just fine, thanks").

You want to be outraged over soldiers pissing on the dead? By all means. That's sick stuff. But where's the outrage over the Taliban that pisses on international law and basic morality every single day?

Jonathon Narvey is the Editor of The Propagandist