ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (MCT) — President Barack Obama has been briefed on a series of photos published in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, and finds the conduct of troops who posed with the bodies of dead Afghans “reprehensible,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
“The conduct depicted in those photographs is reprehensible and does not in any way represent the high standards of the U.S. military,” Carney said Wednesday as the president flew to Ohio for a speech on job training. “ And the president certainly shares in the defense secretary’s opinion that this should be investigated and those held responsible will be held accountable,” he said.
Carney said he did not know if Obama had seen the photos. He repeated the Pentagon’s argument that the newspaper should not have published photos out concern for troop safety.
Los Angeles Times Editor Davan Maharaj said, “After careful consideration, we decided that publishing a small but representative selection of the photos would fulfill our obligation to readers to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan, including the allegation that the images reflect a breakdown in unit discipline that was endangering U.S. troops.”
