US marines in Afghanistan. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
The commandant of the Marine Corps has sacked two US generals in the wake of a deadly attack last year by the Taliban on a major Nato base in Afghanistan.
The extraordinary decision came after a military investigation found Major General Charles Gurganus and Major General Gregg Sturdevant failed to take sufficient action to safeguard the base from a possible assault by insurgents, the Marine Corps said in a statement.
It was the first time an American general had been fired over battlefield negligence since the Vietnam War, officials said.
The September 14-15 assault on Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan was one of the most brazen ever pulled off by Taliban insurgents. Two Marines were killed, eight others wounded and six AV-8B Harrier fighter jets destroyed.
Endorsing the probe’s findings, General James Amos, chief of the Marine Corps, wrote that while he was aware of the challenges faced by the Marines due to a troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, it was his duty “to remain true to the timeless axioms” that define a commander’s task. “Responsibility and accountability are the sacred tenets of commandership.”
According to Amos, the general “made an error in judgment when conducting his risk assessment of the enemy’s capabilities and intentions” towards the base, which included the British-run airfield at Bastion and a Marine installation.
In the well-planned assault, 15 insurgents with wire cutters took advantage of reduced security around the base, including an unmanned watchtower.
The number of US troops in the region under Gurganus’ command had declined from 17,000 when he took over in 2011 to 7,400 when the September 2012 attack took place.
“The fog of war, the uncertain risks of combat, and the actions of a determined foe do not relieve a commander of the responsibility,” Amos wrote.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2013.
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Nations progress and develop when there is no favoritism but accountability only, even if the person is a president or a general. Can we see in the mirror in an honest way or adopt the ways of nations who are not Muslims but very much Islamic.