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Secretary of State John Kerry was quick to manage the damage. “We are grateful to Ambassador Jawad for exposing this nefarious exploitation by our troops of the world’s most endangered large predators,” Secretary Kerry said today. “This is far more serious than ‘green on blue.’ I will immediately direct the Department of Defense to investigate, prosecute, and end the careers of anyone found to be involved in this ring, or in its coverup.” Rolling Stone, a magazine long known for its accuracy in reporting matters related to US Special Forces, followed up Ambassador Jawad’s twitter post with a full-length article. In it, they revealed how they tracked down the four individuals pictured in what has become known as the “Lion King” photo, all of whom were members of the 2nd Special Forces Group. Rolling Stone reports its sources confirmed that the hunt took place.
“Al Qaeda might have gotten the Lion of the Panjshir, but we got the last lion in Kunar!” Rolling Stone quoted one of the anonymous Special Forces troops saying. It is unclear what the “Lion of the Panjshir” means, as lions are not known to reside in Panjshir district of Afghanistan.
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