The bodies of 10 Afghan villagers were found near a base in the country’s Wardak Province shortly after the U.S. military was forced to vacate it in the spring. All of the people had disappeared after being detained by U.S. Special Forces, including, it seems, a unit known as “The A-Team,” which has also been linked to eight other slayings in Wardak.

The mystery behind the deaths is the center of a new exposé that says the disappearances and killings could amount to some of the gravest war crimes perpetrated by U.S. forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. “Democracy Now!” spoke Thursday with the author of that report, award-winning investigative journalist Matthieu Aikins, who is based in Kabul and spent five months investigating the killings for his Rolling Stone article, “The A-Team Killings.”

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

‘Democracy Now!’:

Your support is crucial…

With an uncertain future and a new administration casting doubt on press freedoms, the danger is clear: The truth is at risk.

Now is the time to give. Your tax-deductible support allows us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes what’s really happening — without compromise.

Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and unearth untold stories.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG