On August 1, First Lieutenant Clint Lorance was found guilty of two counts of second degree murder for ordering his men to fire upon three Afghan men as they approached his position on a motorcycle, killing two of them.
According to the Daily Mail, prosecutors said Lorance’s order to fire was reckless and did not square with the current rules of engagement (ROE). Under President Obama, soldiers have been required to hold fire “unless they have evidence of hostile action or hostile intent.” Prosecutors said the Afghans showed “no indication of… hostile intent.”
Lorance’s defense countered by saying the First Lieutenant gave the order because the Afghans were coming at him and his men and he saw no other way to protect them.
In October 2012, Breitbart News spoke to members of a Cavalry Scout Platoon deployed in Afghanistan who said the current ROE give every advantage to the enemy. They particularly talked about how close the ROE allow would-be insurgents to get, which takes away the “buffer zone” for U.S. troops completely.
One of the Scout Platoon members claimed, “We allow people to get so close to our vehicles that we have no time to react should they try to do something.”
Lorance’s mother says her son “was on high alert, heading into enemy territory, and was getting radio warning from Army pilots patrolling the skies” when the Afghans drove toward the checkpoint where he and his men were positioned.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins
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