The International Criminal Court (ICC) has recently reopened an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed in relation to the U.S. military participation in the Afghan conflict. The investigation will focus on alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan that may have occurred since May 2003.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated in a recent press statement that the ICC is an “. . . unaccountable political institution, masquerading as a legal body.” He went on to say that “The United States is not a party to the ICC, and we will take all necessary measures to protect our citizens from this renegade, so-called court.” (U.S. Department of State, Mar 5, 2020).
The Special Forces Association (SFA) stands opposed to this action by the ICC. The message below has been issued by Gary Koenitzer, the national president of the Special Forces Association.
“In coordination with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and other groups, the Special Forces Association declares its complete and vehement opposition to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) recently reopened investigation of war crimes allegedly committed by the United States (U.S.) related to its activities in Afghanistan.
The U.S. is not a signatory to the ICC specifically because of justified concerns that global competitors will use the ICC to undermine U.S. national security by limiting strategic options and prosecuting U.S. government personnel for performing their duties.
The ICC is also engaged in preliminary examinations of war crimes allegedly committed by the United Kingdom and Israel, close U.S. allies, while ignoring extremely credible accusations of widespread war crimes by Russia, China, Syria, and other malign actors.
Any accusations of U.S. war crimes related to activities in Afghanistan will certainly fall disproportionately on the U.S. special operations personnel who have spearheaded U.S. efforts throughout the Global War on Terror.”
Inquiries on this matter can be directed to Mr. Doug Livermore, the Director of External Communications, for the Special Forces Association:
dlivermore@specialforcesassociation.org
Text of the SFA letter was posted on LinkedIn:
Special Forces Association’s Opposition to International Criminal Court Investigation of US Activities in Afghanistan, LinkedIn Pulse, April 27, 2020.
