Al Jazeera: Civilians killed when ammo truck allegedly hit by airstrike exploded.

[Godhumor]

From the live blog

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1
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Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reports from Ajdabiya that a number of civilians were killed in the village of Argkuk when a coalition airstrike hit a pro-Gaddafi vehicle which, being full of ammunition, exploded.

A commander at the front described the incident as a "mistake", while a doctor at Ajdabiya's Al Gharif hospital, where the wounded were taken, said that seven civilians had been killed in the explosion, and 25 others injured.

He said that the relatives of those hurt or killed were very clear that they were not blaming the NATO-led coalition for the deaths, taking the position that if the pro-Gaddafi vehicles had been allowed to escape, "thousands" could have died in Ajdabiya because of them.

NATO has told Al Jazeera that is unclear as to whether the ammunition-laden vehicle was destroyed by artillery, mortars, an airstrike or some other cause, and that while it had launched an inquiry into the incident, without ground forces to verify the on-the-ground evidence, it would be difficult to determine exactly what happened.
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Other details from elsewhere on the site say it was parked between houses in a residential area. The strike was dead on, but the ammunition being carried exploded and ripped through the properties. If this turns out to be due to airstrike, the damage falls squarely on NATO.

[Shagbark Hickory]

1. People need to see this. Those of you who support this war... More dead civilians.

[Godhumor]

2. I support the effort fully, but it doesn't mean having to be blinded to this

Travesty and a huge error on the part of the people who coordinated the strike.

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

3. fewer than if Gaddafi had had his way

[Godhumor]

4. I support the intervention--still doesn't mean this is right

The strike was dead on, but the residual damage should have been considered whether it was from ground troops or from a NATO mission.

[Shagbark Hickory]

7. You drank the koolaid. totally. Massacres = wmd's

They interviewed a rebel fighter. He didn't say one word about massacres or civilian deaths. When asked why he wanted quaddafi out, he said they want healthcare, education etc.

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

21. you don't think Gaddafi was killing people?? he was dropping bombs from planes.

[Union Scribe]

22. So are we. Who's going to bomb us to make us stop?

[Shagbark Hickory]

10. Really? What way is that?

They interviewed a rebel fighter. He didn't say one word about massacres or civilian deaths. When asked why he wanted quaddafi out, he said they want healthcare, education etc.

[PurityOfEssence]

23. There's no way to prove that, and every reason to believe he wouldn't

The guy's trying to reconquer territory. For one thing, he's going to focus his energies on destroying enemy forces, and for another, he's surely aware that if he scares the fuck out of everybody, he'll be cooked for sure.

The tiresome FACT that he would have definitely exterminated "tens of thousands of innocent civilians" (which is the repeated phrase I hear as endlessly dittoed as if by conservative news pundits) holds no water at all. We don't know that. The selfsame people who call him a liar use his words as proof of something they then demand to claim as FACT.

Nobody knows this, and I and many others doubt it. He's fighting a very complex struggle here; he can't afford to piss off or scare a city like Benghazi when he has to continue way on with his meager forces all the way to at least Tobruk.

Hypothetical victims are not victims.

[gateley]

6. Did you happen to read this paragraph?:

"He said that the relatives of those hurt or killed were very clear that they were not blaming the NATO-led coalition for the deaths, taking the position that if the pro-Gaddafi vehicles had been allowed to escape, "thousands" could have died in Ajdabiya because of them."

I can only speak for myself, but I would feel the same way if my country, for the first time in my life, was on the verge of becoming free. :shrug:

I support it. I'm saddened by this, and even saddened by the Qaddifi supporters' deaths (they have families and loved ones, too), but it seems to be something that their family members understand and can come to peace with.

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. Oh give it time. They'll be chanting "death to america" in no time.

[gateley]

12. Always a possibility, I admit -- which is why I was surprised they asked for our

help to begin with. Of course I may have just believed the propaganda that they hated America.

Anyway, we'll see - they're talking about a cease fire now so that's promising (although I sure don't trust Qaddaif).

[Shagbark Hickory]

18. They want guns and money and they want help ousting qaddafi.

And of course healthcare and education.

Who doesn't?

[Godhumor]

9. I didn't want to call too much attention to that because it comes from the Dr. and not the families

I am very critical of Gaddafi's third party propaganda and don't want to make the same mistake the other way by assuming the doctor actually speaks for them.

[gateley]

13. Good call. I fall prey to that, believing what supports my viewpoint rather than

looking at each piece critically. Hope springs eternal, I guess. :7

[Ikonoklast]

11. It is a sad thing all the way around.

I'm not sure how I would feel about some of my family dying as 'collateral damage' in a civil war.


I would tend to blame the party transporting offensive weapons to an army intent on killing my remaining relatives.

[gateley]

14. Yeah, it's really impossible to actually know how we would react -- in any given

situation -- until/unless we're the ones experiencing it.

I remember a time when I was convinced I could never hurt/harm anybody. Then I got mugged and I knew without a doubt if I'd had a gun I'd have stopped the guy without a second thought. I actually went to a police training thing to learn about firearms but when they convinced us we couldn't be cute and "aim for the knee" or something -- had to just aim to STOP the attack, I opted out. But still, knowing that and knowing what happened to me, I learned that if the situation called for it (in my mind) I COULD do whatever it took to stop someone from harming, possibly killing me.

[walerosco]

15. Arabs are the weirdest people

remember from The Fahrenheit 911, the video of the Iraqi mother who couldn't get herself to blame the American missile for the death of her son. She kept on saying "Ns ha Allah" which I believe it means its gods will.

The Americans are pumping depleted uranium missiles into their community and they are cheering it

[Godhumor]

16. DU has not been used to this point in the conflict.

The missile types and targets don't support it. There have been rumblings that the A-10 tank killer is being deployed to Libya, which does use DU payloads for tank strikes, so we'll see what the future brings. As of now, it has not been used, though.

[gateley]

17. I don't think the depleted uranium missiles charge has been substantiated --

there are questions concerning its accuracy.

That aside, I'd guess anyone who devoutly believed in a God would believe whatever happens is God's Will. :shrug:

[Shagbark Hickory]

20. Bump time.

:kick:
:silly:

[Angry Dragon]

5. War is never good...............

[malaise]

19. How humanitarian of NATO

Fuck war