Amy Goodman: The Afghan War’s Nine Lives

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from truthdig:



The Afghan War’s Nine Lives

Posted on Feb 15, 2012
By Amy Goodman


Eight youths, tending their flock of sheep in the snowy fields of Afghanistan, were exterminated last week by a NATO airstrike. They were in the Najrab district of Kapisa province in eastern Afghanistan. Most were reportedly between the ages of 6 and 14. They had sought shelter near a large boulder, and had built a fire to stay warm. At first, NATO officials claimed they were armed men. The Afghan government condemned the bombing and released photos of some of the victims. By Wednesday, NATO offered, in a press release, “deep regret to the families and loved ones of several Afghan youths who died during an air engagement in Kapisa province Feb. 8.” Those eight killed were not that different in age from Lance Cpl. Osbrany Montes De Oca, 20, of North Arlington, N.J. He was killed two days later, Feb. 10, while on duty in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. These nine young, wasted lives will be the latest footnote in the longest war in United States history, a war that is being perpetuated, according to one brave, whistle-blowing U.S. Army officer, through a “pattern of overt and substantive deception” by “many of America’s most senior military leaders in Afghanistan.”

Those are the words written by Lt. Col. Danny Davis in his 84-page report, “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort.” A draft of that report, dated Jan. 27, 2012, was obtained by Rolling Stone magazine. It has not been approved by the U.S. Army Public Affairs office for release, even though Davis writes that its contents are not classified. He has submitted a classified version to members of Congress. Davis, a 17-year Army veteran with four combat tours behind him, spent a year in Afghanistan with the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force, traveling more than 9,000 miles to most operational sectors of the U.S. occupation and learning firsthand what the troops said they needed most.

In a piece he wrote in Armed Forces Journal (AFJ) titled “Truth, lies and Afghanistan,” Davis wrote of his experience, “What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground.” Speaking out is strongly discouraged in the U.S. military, especially against one’s superiors. His whistle-blowing was picked up by The New York Times and Rolling Stone, whose reporter, Michael Hastings, told me, “The fact is that you have a 17-year Army veteran who’s done four tours—two in Afghanistan and two in Iraq—who has decided to risk his entire career—he has two and a half more years left before he gets a pension—because he feels that he has a moral obligation to do so.” ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_afghan_wars_nine_lives_20120215/