Part 2 of this investigation.

Within days of the Wazi killing, an 18-year-old Afghan army recruit named Jamal Naseer died after being interrogated at the team's firebase in Gardez, about 25 miles to the north. Multiple witnesses say his body showed signs of severe beating and other abuse. His brother and six others also held at Gardez say they were tortured.

The commander over all Special Forces in Afghanistan at the time, then-Col. James G. "Greg" Champion, said in a brief interview that neither death was reported up the chain of command. Champion, a National Guar...

Part 2 of this investigation.

Within days of the Wazi killing, an 18-year-old Afghan army recruit named Jamal Naseer died after being interrogated at the team's firebase in Gardez, about 25 miles to the north. Multiple witnesses say his body showed signs of severe beating and other abuse. His brother and six others also held at Gardez say they were tortured.

The commander over all Special Forces in Afghanistan at the time, then-Col. James G. "Greg" Champion, said in a brief interview that neither death was reported up the chain of command. Champion, a National Guardsman who has since been promoted to brigadier general, said he did not hear of the deaths until 18 months later, when he learned that The Times was investigating.

"Two unreported deaths in a few days are a clue that something's wrong" with that team, said a military official familiar with the incidents, who asked not to be identified.

these accusations, based on the word of the enemy,

Wrong.

18-year old Jamal Naseer was captured/kidnapped by Special Forces members, along with his brother, Ahmad Naseer, who used to work for the war lord Pacha Khan and defected to the Americans/Afghan government. According to Ahmad (remember, he was at the time working for the Afghan government), both brothers were tortured by Special Forces. Jamal died in custody. The Special Forces blamed it on an STD, but the condition of his body suggests otherwise:

A hospital worker who prepared the body for burial said in an interview that "it was completely black." Hajji Abdul Qayum said Jamal's face was "dark and looked ...

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these accusations, based on the word of the enemy,

Wrong.

18-year old Jamal Naseer was captured/kidnapped by Special Forces members, along with his brother, Ahmad Naseer, who used to work for the war lord Pacha Khan and defected to the Americans/Afghan government. According to Ahmad (remember, he was at the time working for the Afghan government), both brothers were tortured by Special Forces. Jamal died in custody. The Special Forces blamed it on an STD, but the condition of his body suggests otherwise:

A hospital worker who prepared the body for burial said in an interview that "it was completely black." Hajji Abdul Qayum said Jamal's face was "dark and looked like it was burned." He said it was "completely swollen, as were his palms, and the soles of his feet were swollen double in size."

"I have no idea what he might have been beaten with," the hospital worker said.

Naseer's mother, Kajala, also viewed her son's body before burial. She told Afghan military investigators that "the entire body was full of injuries."

(the times quotes experts saying that these symptoms are consistent with blunt trauma, not organ failure caused by an STD)

After Nasseer died, the Special Forces members had a meeting to coordinate their stories:

The other, an 18-year-old Afghan army recruit, died after being interrogated at the firebase. Descriptions of his injuries were consistent with severe beatings and other abuse.

A member of the Special Forces team told The Times his unit held a meeting after the teen's death to coordinate their stories should an investigation arise.

"Everybody on the team had knowledge of it," the soldier said, insisting on anonymity. "You just don't talk about that stuff in the Special Forces community. What happens downrange stays downrange…. Nobody wants to get anybody in trouble. Just sit back, and hope it will go away."