U.S. Confirms Airstrike Wrongly Killed 6 Afghan Family Members

[alp227]

Source: New York Times

The American military claimed responsibility and expressed regret for an airstrike that mistakenly killed six members of a family in southwestern Afghanistan, Afghan and American military officials confirmed Monday.

The attack, which took place Friday night, was first revealed publicly by the governor of Helmand Province, Muhammad Gulab Mangal, on Monday. His spokesman, Dawoud Ahmadi, said that after an investigation they had determined that a family home in Sangin district had been attacked by mistake in the American airstrike, which was called in to respond to a Taliban attack.

Governor Mangal summoned the American regional commander, Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus of the Marines, to complain, and General Gurganus apologized for the incident, Mr. Ahmadi said.

Read more: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/world/asia/united-states-confirms-airstrike-wrongly-killed-afghan-family-members.xml

[msongs]

1. winning hearts and minds, one dead child at a time nt

[newfie11]

6. very true nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. It seems like we do this on about a weekly basis.

And yet we're surprised and shocked when our Afghan allies turn their guns on our soldiers. Also on about a weekly basis.

Obama can't get us out of there fast enough.

[OnyxCollie]

3. Isn't the Commander in Chief ultimately responsible?

I mean, if the C-in-C can take credit for killing bin Laden, isn't he also responsible for turning a family of six into hamburger?

[Vattel]

24. Well, um, he inherited this war afterall,

and he just wants to bring the war to a responsible conclusion, and he kept a campaign promise to escalate the war in Afghanistan, and he knows a lot more than we do about the situation in Afghanistan, and if we leave too soon we will end up back in Afghanistan later on, and innocent people are always killed in war, and it was an accident and so no one is really to blame.

Hopefully you detect a hint of sarcasm in the above response.

[bayareamike]

4. They hate us for our freedoms.

[raouldukelives]

5. Ah, a mistake. A faulty wire sent the munitions into the wrong area?

The air strike was sent off course by a computer error?
Oh, you mean the building you targeted & destroyed had innocent lives in it? That's not a mistake. That's just not caring enough to be sure.

[lsewpershad]

7. Mr President

Time to stop this madness.

[Daniel537]

8. Don't worry, folks

Only 12 more years(at least) to go. My preemptive apologies to the thousands of Afghans who will be killed until then.

[SoutherDem]

9. War Zone

Last edited Mon May 7, 2012, 06:56 PM - Edit history (1)

Please don't misunderstand me. I am NOT in favor of this war! I want us out as soon a possible.

But, it is a war zone! Mistakes happen.

The only answer is to get out. Until we are out this will happen and it shouldn't surprise anyone.

Edit.
I am not for this was, never have been, never will be.
I think we need to get out.

I pointed out that it is a war zone simply because it is, I am not blaming those who live there in any way. I say it shouldn't surprise anyone because there is, and always will be collateral damage in war. I was not using that as an excuse, simply pointing out a fact. War equals death. To eliminate the deaths, end the war. That was my point, this is happening because of the war. To end it end the war.

[Angry Dragon]

13. Where the hell are these people suppose to go??

It is their country, they live there.........


JUst a few days ago we were told 9 suspected terrorists were killed

[SoutherDem]

16. You Misunderstood Me

My point is we need to get the hell out!

But, until we do, this will happen and it shouldn't be a surprise. You bomb things people die, sometimes not the ones you want to die. I didn't mean to imply a value, just a fact.


I am often told I go into too much detail, for once I didn't and I am misunderstood.

Yes WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THEIR COUNTRY!

[sad sally]

18. I too misunderstood, but am leaving my first reply. Thanks for clarifying your point.

[DocMac]

19. They can see the people in the structures.

Their heat signatures are good enough to tell how many people and how big or small they are.

They know.

[SoutherDem]

20. Ok I get it

But, my point was we need to get out.

[SoutherDem]

23. So what is the point?

Why kill people who are innocent? This is just driving a greater wedge between the US and them. You will feel I am being naive but I can't see any good to come from bombing an innocent family on purpose which is what I assume you are saying. But, I can see a lot of harm. Also, you really need to take the proof to the Hague and bring war crime charges on the US because targeting innocent civilians is a war crime.

[sad sally]

17. May a war zone never enter your world...

When the wars go badly and violence escalates, Americans tend to ignore or even blame the victims.

For civilians in a country where we have demolished their cities (no matter how humble) and displaced them to fend for their survival, where should they go to be safe?

Korean War historian Bruce Cumings calls this neglect of forgetting about the non-American casualties of our many military actions the “hegemony of forgetting, in which almost everything to do with the war is buried history.”

[SoutherDem]

21. My Pont was we need to get out

[gratuitous]

10. We have been assured by no less a personage than John Brennan

That these strikes conform to the highest ethical standards, including the hallowed principles of necessity, distinction and proportionality. We're busy making omelettes here, people, really good ones. And that means some eggs are going to get broken. But I suppose all you nervous nellies would rather be under Sharia law wearing burkas, huh? Is that what you want? Is it? Because that's what's gonna happen if the United States quits firing missiles indiscriminately into Afghanistan! Geez, you even got an apology from a General! What more could you want?

[ashling]

11. "Wrongly Killed ... Family Members"???

As opposed to killing them the right way? WTF???

[Blue_Tires]

14. Funny how often things go wrong in the era of high-tech, push-button war

Is there a running tally of just how much hush money we've given overall to surviving relatives?

[sad sally]

15. From this read, there were two provinces where innocent people were "mistakenly killed"

and that US/NATO "plans an apology."

NATO plans apology for civilian deaths in Afghanistan airstrike

By Sayed Salahuddin, Updated: Monday, May 7, 11:20 AM

KABUL — NATO airstrikes killed Afghan civilians in two provinces, local officials reported Monday, and the U.S.-led coalition said it plans an apology in one of the incidents.

An airstrike Friday killed six members of a family in the Sangin area of southern Helmand province, according to the provincial spokesman.

“At this point in the investigation, we are able to confirm the incident and will be formally apologizing in the next couple of days to the family,” said Lt. Col. Stewart Upton, a spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. “We are deeply saddened by any civilian deaths, and particularly regret incidents where civilians are killed as a result of actions by ISAF.”

There were conflicting accounts on the number of deaths in another incident in Bala Murghab district of northwestern Badghis province, where unconfirmed reports put the civilian deaths at 14.

[fascisthunter]

22. I bet so many will excuse this as a means to an end

pathetic brainwashing can make one agree with murder.