Respected again

Appeals judges on the International Crime Court (ICC) on Thursday approved a request to investigate alleged war crimes committed by U.S. military forces, CIA personnel, the Taliban and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

The move overturns a lower court decision and allows prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to launch a probe into alleged war crimes by U.S. forces for the first time, according to The Associated Press. The U.S. government has long refused to cooperate with the court.

  The Hill

Although it's certainly not the first time the US has committed war crimes.

Judges who heard pretrial arguments reportedly rejected Bensouda's request to open an investigation in April 2019. The judges based their decision at the time on the belief that a lack of cooperation would inhibit the probe from concluding with convictions.

And, for some reason, they apparently think they could get convictions now.

The court's decision arrives less than a week after the U.S. signed an agreement with the Taliban that would withdraw thousands of American troops still in the country. Though signs of trouble have already emerged, and the U.S. launched an airstrike on the Taliban on Wednesday.

Heck of a start to honoring an agreement. Although, maybe they didn't say they wouldn't attack as long as there's still soldiers there.

A U.S. military spokesperson said the strike was launched to interrupt a Taliban attack on a checkpoint manned by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

Pre-emptive strikes are the US stock in trade.

Everybody knows you can't trust the Americans.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.