US general: Gay soldiers failed to stop Srebrenica massacre

Dutch troops failed to prevent the 1995 massacre in the Bosnian war because the army was weakened by gay soldiers, a retired US general claims.

John Sheehan, a former Nato commander, was speaking in the Senate against a proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the US military. Committee chairman Carl Levin told Gen Sheehan he was "totally off target".

Gen Sheehan said Europe's armies deteriorated after the collapse of the Soviet Union and focused on peacekeeping because "they did not believe the Germans were going to attack again or the Soviets were coming back. They made a conscious effort to socialise their military — it includes open homosexuality".

He said the former chief of staff of the Dutch army had told him that the fall of Srebenica was partly because of the presence of gay soldiers. About 8,000 Bosnian Muslim boys and men were killed when Serbian forces captured the town.

A Dutch defence ministry spokesman, Roger Van de Wetering, dismissed the claims. "For us it is unbelievable that a man of this rank is stating this nonsense, because that is what it is.

"Every man or woman who meets the criteria physically and mentally is welcome to serve in our armed forces regardless of (religious) belief, sexual preference or whatever."

Mr Levin, a Democrat senator, asked Gen Sheehan: "Did the Dutch leaders tell you it [the fall of Srebrenica] was because there were gay soldiers there?"

"Yes," Gen Sheehan replied, saying he had spoken to the former Dutch chief of staff. "They included that as part of the problem."