U.S. airstrike killed at least 70 civilians

[spanone]

winning hearts and minds......


U.S. confirms that women and children died in attack that targeted a Taliban leader.
By M. Karim Faiez and Laura King, Special to The Los Angeles Times
6:42 AM PDT, August 23, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai today denounced an airstrike by U.S.-led forces that his office said killed at least 70 civilians.

Civilian deaths and injuries are an extremely sensitive subject in Afghanistan, where the government has repeatedly pleaded with Western troops to exercise greater care to avoid hurting and killing noncombatants. Karzai broke down in tears during one such appeal.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fg-afghan24-2008aug24,0,223168.story

[Disturbed]

1. This has been happening on a more frequent basis.

Is the US Military incompetent or do they just not give a damn?

[OwnedByFerrets]

2. I think its been 'reported' on a more frequent basis...

1.2 million civilians in Iraq didnt commit suicide.:mad:

[rwenos]

4. Yes to all, But That's the Wrong Question

It's very easy for us to throw stones at the military in the field. (And spare me the My Lai stuff -- I remember. Those guys did bad shit and went to jail for it.)

From my reading of military history, and common sense, it's almost always NOT the guys out there doing the flying, shooting, digging, exploding, bleeding and dying.

It's the Brass that's the problem. The bastards in the Pentagon, and the Bastard in Chief in the White House.

[magellan]

10. Agreed, however

...the buck stops with the president. It's his responsibility to see that things like this don't happen, and if they do, make heads roll. What's really astounding in this case is you'd think if Bush** genuinely wanted to resolve things productively in Afghanistan and Iraq as he says, he'd see how counter-productive these events are and seek to condemn and minimize them. But AFAIK, the only brass Bush** has disciplined/forced out are those who speak against him. He shows no interest in the massacres, tortures, and needless brutality civilians are subjected to by our forces, and never has.

This very much speaks to where he really stands on things, despite his jawing to the contrary.

k&r

[Thothmes]

12. Just like in Viet Nam

[pleah]

3. Bushits retaliation for being forced into a troop withdrawal timeline?

I want this to stop.

[Selatius]

5. This is why so many Vietnamese eventually grew to hate the US presence during that war.

"Collateral damage" is a cold and dry term for a dead relative. It is insulting to the survivors in the worst way possible.

[malaise]

6. BBC last night said they denied this but

the Afghan government said as many as 91 civilians were killed. Amazing how they always deny and then have to admit these war crimes.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. "Just following orders"

[spanone]

8. over 70 innocent men women and children died for A taliban leader....fucking ciminal imho

a single fucking taliban leader and we killed that many innocents....

[Ed76638]

9. This is imperalism

When the lives of our soldiers are more important than their civilians. It was the same when we used missiles to take out Zarqawi two years ago. The saftey of our troops was of upmost importance. None cared for the mother and child who were killed in that strike.

[populistdriven]

11. Iraqi girl covered in her parents blood - american bullets killed them

[butterfly77]

13. Are these some more of those...

innocent lives that the republiCONS are always crying about..

[gaspee]

14. Why do we think

We can "win" in the country that basically sped up the end of the USSR? The only way to win is to get them on our side - have a common goal that benefits both people.

This sure as hell ain't it.