ICC: Probe Into American War Crimes May Be Coming

The International Criminal Court is talking about investigating Americans for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, a move that the State Department considers both unwarranted and inappropriate. The department says that not only is the US not a member of the ICC, it has its own justice system capable of dealing with such issues, reports Reuters. "The United States is deeply committed to complying with the law of war," spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said Tuesday. "We do not believe that an ICC examination or investigation with respect to actions of US personnel in relation to the situation in Afghanistan is warranted or appropriate."

A report released Monday by ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said there may be ground for prosecution because US service members "appear to have subjected at least 61 detained persons to torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity" in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2014, and CIA operatives may have tortured 27 detainees in Afghanistan, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania between 2004 and 2008, the AP reports. Bensouda said a decision is due imminently, though legal experts say it is "highly, highly unlikely" that any American will be prosecuted in the international court over the allegations, especially not if US authorities have conducted their own investigation. (More Afghanistan war stories.)