afghanistan

Soldier Sentenced to 24 Years for Murder of Afghan Civilians

Max Read · 03/23/11 08:01PM

Remember Specialist Jeremy Morlock, the 22-year-old Alaskan who took horrifying photos of his own war crimes? He's now pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and has been sentenced to 24 years in jail; in exchange, essentially, for not getting a life sentence, he'll testify against the four other soldiers also accused of murdering Afghan civilians "for sport." He apologized in court to his victims' families and "the people of Afghanistan themselves." [NYT]

Gen. Petraeus to Leave Afghan Command

Max Read · 02/15/11 08:37PM

The Times of London is reporting that Gen. David Petraeus will leave his spot as the head of the U.S. Afghan Command at the end of the year, not that anyone blames him. Petraeus replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the difficult, thankless job in July of 2010 after McChrystal was fired over a Rolling Stone article; a search is apparently already on for a replacement, who would theoretically be overseeing the withdrawal of American troops and thinking a lot about how great it will be when he can retire and maybe play a little golf. [Times via The Daily Beast]

Afghan War Is Totes Boring

Hamilton Nolan · 12/20/10 01:42PM

In your vacationmongering Monday media column: Americans just can't get interested in Afghanistan, a systematic approach to the NYT's "Most Emailed" list, Groupon is the future of shitty "journalism" jobs, and a look at the newspaper industry's year.