U.S. drone strike kills 30 pine nut farm workers in Afghanistan
Source: Reuters
JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike intended to hit an Islamic State (IS) hideout in Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians resting after a days labor in the fields, officials said on Thursday.
The attack on Wednesday night also injured 40 people after accidentally targeting farmers and laborers who had just finished collecting pine nuts at mountainous Wazir Tangi in eastern Nangarhar province, three Afghan officials told Reuters.
The workers had lit a bonfire and were sitting together when a drone targeted them, tribal elder Malik Rahat Gul told Reuters by telephone from Wazir Tangi.
...
In a separate incident, at least 20 people died in a suicide truck bomb attack on Thursday carried out by the Taliban in the southern province of Zabul.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack-drones-idUSKBN1W40NW
yaesu
(8,020 posts)Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)IronLionZion
(45,442 posts)iluvtennis
(19,858 posts)Maxheader
(4,373 posts)30 innocents?
Usual winger resonse .. "gonna make an omlet, ya gotta break a few eggs"
keithbvadu2
(36,806 posts)Taliban killed 20.
Trump killed 30.
Must be a comparison there somewhere.
captain jack
(316 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,806 posts)@SecPompeo keeps saying "over the last 10 days we killed 1000 Taliban". Where is this story?.
08 Sep
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212447910
He has confused Taliban with civilians.
Fan of Da Bearse
(75 posts)JALALABAD, Afghanistan/KABUL (Reuters) - Twelve days ahead of the pine-nut harvest season, the governor of Afghanistans eastern Nangarhar province received a letter from village elders in the Wazir Tangi area about their plans to recruit 200 laborers and children to pluck the dry fruit.
The letter, seen by Reuters and dated Sept. 7, was sent in an effort to help protect laborers from getting caught in clashes between U.S.-backed Afghan forces and Islamic State fighters in the mountainous terrain largely controlled by the jihadists.
Taliban insurgents and Islamic State fighters have been battling each other for control of the provinces natural resources. U.S. and Afghan forces routinely launch air strikes to regain control over territory lost to militant groups.
On Wednesday, just hours after farmers, laborers and children finished their days work of plucking pine nuts in the heavily forested area and lit bonfires near their tents, a U.S. drone hit the site, killing 30 civilians and injuring 40 others, according to three Afghan provincial officials.
Local residents expressed shock and anger that the attack occurred despite the letter and subsequent assurances of safety for the workers.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack-drones-letter/letter-detailing-civilian-presence-failed-to-prevent-deadly-afghan-drone-strike-idUSKBN1W431P
bronxiteforever
(9,287 posts)YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)BamaRefugee
(3,483 posts)McKim
(2,412 posts)Just get us out of here, God!!!!!!!! Why arent we just spending money on our own people. In Southern Spain this summer I saw that everyone had health care, ample public housing, good educations, new high speed trains, new bus and train stations and new airports, community centers, senior citizen centers and so much social infrastructure that we are doing without.
We could have all that too if we didnt spend so much on foreign wars.
Aussie105
(5,397 posts)set itself up as the policeman of the world.
Spain doesn't have a large mobile army they are prepared to send off to other parts of the world in defence of some abstract political ideals.
Spain doesn't have a corrupt political system where money can buy you a politician's support, and political morals are an optional extra.
See the difference?