The heartbreak of the 17 Afghans allegedly murdered by Staff Sergeant Robert Bales continued to unfold Monday morning as his wife, Kari, appeared on NBC’s Today show to say “He did not do this…this is not what it appears to be.” Strange how war can force people to do things they would not otherwise do. No wonder many family members see their soldiers as “different” when they come home from war (check out the interview here.)
In related news, the Pentagon ordered an urgent review of the use of the anti-malarial drug mefloquine, also known as Lariam, nine days after the massacre. Mark Benjamin reports at the Huffington Post that military officials decline to say whether or not Bales took the drug, which can trigger psychotic behavior. He notes that Battleland contributor Elspeth Cameron Ritchie first raised this possibility here last week.