US Blocking Investigation of Afghan Massacre, Bales’s Lawyer Says
The inconsistency of the official story and the Pentagon's apparent attempt to hide evidence smacks of a government cover-up. - The lawyer defending the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians said on Friday U.S. authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident. “We are facing an almost complete information blackout from the government which is having a devastating effect on our ability to investigate the charges preferred against our client,” said John Henry Browne, who is defending the accused Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has been charged with murdering eight adults and nine children in cold blood. But the official story – that he left his base to kill only once and that he acted alone – has been challenged by eyewitnesses and other Afghan villagers.