Dilawar and Habibullah

The New York Times' Tim Golden continues to write about the failure of the military justice system and the Pentagon to account for the death of two Afghans in US military custody in 2002 within the span of a couple of days. Of the original 27 men recommended to prosecutors by Army investigators on the case, only 6 were convicted or pled guilty. The stiffest punishment handed down has been 5 months in a military prison.

Golden writes, "In the modest Fort Bliss courtrooms where the trials have been held, the two Afghan victims have rarely been evoked, except in autopsy photographs."

The New York Times gets credit for running a number of moving photos relating to the Dilawar case. Photographer Keith Bedford allows us a sad and beautiful window into Dilawar's world, with his online slideshow, resulting from his assignment for the New York Times.