US bombing kills two Taliban, 10 civilians in southern Afghanistan

[Judi Lynn]

US bombing kills two Taliban, 10 civilians in southern Afghanistan
Associated Press
Kandahar, Afghanistan, September 20

US helicopters have bombed a tent in southern Afghanistan, killing two Taliban terrorists and 10 gypsies, a deputy governor in Zabul province claimed on Saturday. Attempts to confirm the incident with US forces in Afghanistan were not immediately successful.

The deputy governor, Mullah Mohammed Umer, said over the satellite phone that the incident took place on Thursday night in the district of Naubahar, 200 kilometres northeast of Kandahar.

The Taliban terrorists had taken refuge in the tent after seeing the American helicopters, he said.

A local Taliban commander, Mullah Mohammed Gul Niazi, who has been leading attacks against US-led coalition forces in Zabul for the past year, was among the dead, Umer said. (snip/...)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_383350,00050004.htm

[ClintonTyree]

1. This is sure to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghanis

and I thought we weren't going to use missles to "blow up tents in the desert" in the Bush administration? I must have heard them wrong.

[joanski01]

2. Oh, dear

10 gypsies -- must have been collateral damage. I am so sick of this bunch of terrorists who are running our country. This is just so sickening. Is the rule, if you are not an American, you don't count? Well, I guess that's not it either.

[sspiderjohn]

3. Our troops absolutely HAD to know there were innocents in the tent --

And fired anyway. No excuse. This is not MY army, this is not the way MY country conducts itself, intentionally shooting innocents to kill ONE man who was apparently hiding in the tent, presenting NO imminent threat to the troops who fired the shots.

[soleft]

4. So the next time a murder suspect runs into an apartment bldg. in Atlanta

We should definitely just firebomb the place.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Looks like the move towards Israeli tactics continues

A couple of days ago someone linked this story:

"U.S. wants Israeli military's occupation training software"
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap09-18-145428.asp?reg=MIDEAST

and now this. If you have a suspect, then any amount of civilian deaths to kill them is acceptable, it seems. Does Bush really think the Israelis enjoy the situation in Palestine? At least the Israelis have an obvious goal - their settlements.

[Karmadillo]

5. Ten US civilians killed? Outrageous! Taliban animals! Time for

revenge big time. We can't let the enemies of civilization get away with this kind of thing. Ten innocent lives snuffed out! Think of the potentials never to be fulfilled. Think of the grieving relatives. United States citizens murdered! I can't believe the depravity--What? Afghans? You're sure? Not US citizens? Afghans? Gypsies? Oh. Well, we do our best to limit collateral damage, but no one's perfect. Anybody know how the Laci Peterson trial is coming along?

[Karmadillo]

7. ABC Online (Australia) link: "...women and children died in their beds"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s950121.htm

American helicopters have bombed an area in a remote district near the Pakistan border killing at least eight civilians and two Taliban fighters.

The civilians, nomad women and children, died in their beds when a bomb landed on their tent in the southern province of Zabul on Wednesday night, the deputy governor of Zabul Mohammad Omar told Reuters.

more...

[Robin Hood]

8. And they know that there were Taliban in there.

how do they know that? Or just more BS to justify their fuck ups.

[4dsc]

13. Some question will go unanswered

like your's.. I would like to know how they can disguingish Taliban from gypsy's too..

[rocktivity]

9. If they knew Taliban were in the tent, why not just round them up?

They be more valuable alive, and the lives of the civilians would have been spared. Why not just send in a squad to round everybody up?


rocknation

[leesa]

17. Because you can't sell arms THAT way. Sheesh, what are you thinking?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

10. I really believe the only concern about civilian casualties this

administration has is trying to keep them out of the American Press.

At last check, Iraqi civilian deaths outnumber hostile enemy deaths three to one.

This administration is making a mockery of my country and what it once stood for.

[VolcanoJen]

11. kick

:dem:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

12. Another Kick... This should not be ignored.

[Barrett808]

14. more links

Eight civilians killed in U.S. strike on Taliban

Edited on Sun Sep-21-03 02:15 AM by Barrett808
KABUL (Reuters) - At least eight Afghan nomads, including women and children, were killed in a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan that also killed two Taliban guerrillas, Afghan officials said on Saturday.

In a separate incident, Taliban guerrillas killed a district police chief in the southern province of Kandahar, underscoring a revival of violence recently in a country that has seen mostly strife for the past quarter-century.

The civilians died in their beds when a bomb landed on their tent in Naw Bahar district of the southern province of Zabul on Wednesday night, said deputy provincial governor Mohammad Omar.

A U.S. military spokesman said he could not immediately confirm the report.

Mohammad Gul Neyazi, a top commander of the Taliban, and another Taliban guerrilla were also killed during the attack in the remote district near the border with Pakistan, Omar said.

"The figure I have for the civilian death toll is at least eight," Omar told Reuters. "The Taliban commander and his friend were apparently using a satellite phone, the signal of which was detected by American aircraft which then carried out the attack."

(more)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/030920/137/27wva.html

---

U.S. helicopters bomb tent in Afghanistan, killing Taliban commander and 10 nomads
NOOR KHAN, Associated Press Writer Saturday, September 20, 2003

(09-20) 10:22 PDT KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) --

U.S. helicopters bombed a tent in southern Afghanistan, killing two Taliban militants including a top commander as well as 10 nomadic tribesmen, a deputy governor in Zabul province said Saturday.

The U.S. military confirmed the attack and said it killed Mullah Mohammed Gul Niazi, a former Taliban commander in the capital Kabul. Deputy governor Mullah Mohammed Umer said Gul Niazi had been leading attacks against U.S.-led forces in the province for the past year.

Umer told The Associated Press by satellite phone that the incident took place Thursday night in the district of Naubahar, 120 miles northeast of Kandahar, though a statement by the U.S. military spoke of an operation on Wednesday.

The Taliban militants took refuge in the tent after seeing the American helicopters, Umer said.

"We only know that Mullah Mohammed Gul Niazi was using a satellite phone when two American helicopters reached there," he said. "Ten innocent nomads were killed because of these Taliban."

The U.S. statement said it was "highly confident that only combatant anti-coalition persons were killed or wounded."

(more)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/09/20/international1322EDT0527.DTL

---

12 killed in US bombing in Afghanistan 1:15 pm IST
KANDAHAR: US helicopters have bombed a tent in southern Afghanistan, killing two Taliban militants and 10 gypsies, a deputy governor in Zabul province claimed Saturday. Attempts to confirm the incident with US forces in Afghanistan were not immediately successful.

The deputy governor, Mullah Mohammed Umer, told The Associated Press by satellite phone that the incident took place on Thursday night in the district of Naubahar, 200 kilometers northeast of Kandahar.

The Taliban militants had taken refuge in the tent after seeing the American helicopters, he said. A local Taliban commander, Mullah Mohammed Gul Niazi, who has been leading attacks against US-led coalition forces in Zabul for the past year, was among the dead, Umer said.

"We only know that Mullah Mohammed Gul Niazi was using a satellite phone when two American helicopters reached there," he said. "Ten innocent gypsies were killed because of these Taliban."

http://www.kaumudi.com/news/092003/breakpage.stm#12

---

U.S. choppers kill guerrillas, civilians near Kandahar

Kandahar, Afghanistan — U.S. helicopters bombed a tent in southern Afghanistan, killing two suspected Taliban militants and 10 nomadic tribesmen, a deputy governor in Zabul province said Saturday.

Attempts to confirm his account with U.S. forces in Afghanistan were not immediately successful.

The deputy governor, Mullah Mohammed Umer, told The Associated Press by satellite phone that the incident took place Thursday night in the district of Naubahar, 200 kilometres northeast of Kandahar.

The Taliban militants had taken refuge in the tent after seeing the American helicopters, he said.

A local Taliban commander, Mullah Mohammed Gul Niazi, who has been leading attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces in Zabul for the past year, was among the dead, Mr. Umer said.

“We only know that Mullah Mohammed Gul Niazi was using a satellite phone when two American helicopters reached there,” he said. “Ten innocent gypsies were killed because of these Taliban.”

(more)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030920.wafghan0920/BNStory/International/

[lebkuchen]

15. Our military would fare better if they stopped going out on patrol

killing members of the police force, members of wedding parties, and civilians as they sleep in their beds.

Sounds like some of our officers are looking for promotions by putting their battle-weary soldiers unnecessarily in harms way, not to mention stoking the raging fires of hatred against our troops when they miscalculate.

Eventually those soldiers are going to tell their officers, "If you want the area patroled, go yourself. Nobody is stopping you."

[leesa]

16. Ah yes, the myth of precision bombing

Tell stupid Americans that our bombs don't kill anybody and they believe it.