"US army chief begs Afghans to forgive"?

A top US special forces commander visited a family in rural Afghanistan yesterday to plead for forgiveness after finally admitting that his troops killed five innocent people in a botched raid, which, Afghan officials said, the soldiers then tried to cover up.

Vice-Admiral William H. McRaven went to Paktia in eastern Afghanistan to the home of family head, Haji Sharabuddin, whose two sons were among those shot dead, and offered to enact the tribal ritual nanawate, in which a sheep is sacrificed at the door.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7092604.ece

I thought the idea was for us to drag them into the 21st century, where you don't sacrifice sheep.

I didn't know the idea was to teach our military to "beg" for forgiveness by sacrificing sheep.

P.S. - My kids had to say "happy holidays" during "spring" break and go trick or treating during the "harvest festival", but the military can sacrifice sheep?