Time for CENTCOM PR to Get Off the Dime

The latest press release from CENTCOM doesn't exactly fill me with confidence that they are on top of events regarding the burning of Taliban bodies in Afghanistan:

UPDATE: ALLEGED MISCONDUCT BY U.S. FORCES

KABUL , Afghanistan – The Army Criminal Investigation Division continues its investigation into alleged misconduct by U.S. service members, including the burning of two dead enemy combatant bodies under inappropriate circumstances.

“The inflammatory nature of this allegation raises two pertinent concerns that the command is investigating,” said Army Colonel Jim Yonts, Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan , Public Affairs Officer. “First, the command does not advocate, nor does the command tolerate, the wrongful desecration of anyone’s remains. Second, the use of broadcast messages in conjunction with an act such as this does not represent the values and beliefs of this command therefore necessitating a procedural and policy review.”

“These are very serious allegations and if true, they are reprehensible. If the investigation reveals misconduct those responsible will be held accountable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” he said

Now, this release was dated yesterday, and Colonel Yonts may be unaware of recent developments in the incident, which are only now coming to light (through the efforts of bloggers; MSM reporters are, as usual, only too happy to screw US troops). Specifically, this release reads as though CENTCOM thinks the incident was a planned PsyOps mission. We now know that the bodies were burned for hygiene reasons, that they were not facing west, and that the PsyOps unit simply used their own initiative to use the disposal of the bodies to provoke Taliban terrorists, cowering amongst a civilian population, to come out and be killed or captured.

Once CENTCOM becomes aware of these facts, one hopes that they will stand up for their boots on the ground. Doing otherwise will cost CENTCOM a huge amount of goodwill that has been built up recently among pro-American bloggers and citizens. The bloggers and citizens on the Left will continue to hate CENTCOM regardless of what action CENTCOM takes in this matter.

Check out JasonColeman.com and The Anti-idiotarian Rottweiler for analyses of the incident.