Air strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake: officials

[Mysterysouppe]

Source: Reuters

Reuters) - Fifteen people on their way to a wedding in Yemen were killed in an air strike after their party was mistaken for an al Qaeda convoy, local security officials said on Thursday.

The officials did not identify the plane in the strike in central al-Bayda province, but tribal and local media sources said that it was a drone.

"An air strike missed its target and hit a wedding car convoy, ten people were killed immediately and another five who were injured died after being admitted to the hospital," one security official said.

Five more people were injured, the officials said.

The United States has stepped up drone strikes as part of a campaign against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), regarded by Washington as the most active wing of the militant network.

Yemen, AQAP's main stronghold, is among a handful of countries where the United States acknowledges using drones, although it does not comment on the practice.

Human Rights Watch said in a detailed report in August that U.S. missile strikes, including armed drone attacks, have killed dozens of civilians in Yemen.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/us-yemen-strike-idUSBRE9BB10O20131212

---

Serial killing collateral damage.

[Kelvin Mace]

1. It is murder,

pure and simple.

They know they are often wrong in these attacks, but continue anyway, so it is murder. And all parties, up to and including Obama, are guilty.

[dbackjon]

7. They are just brown muslims

Not even real people. Probably hate 'Murica anyways.





















(in case needed)

[Ace Acme]

13. They hate 'Murica now--or their friends and relatives do, anyway. nt

[Amonester]

35. They always hated 'Murica since they've been told it's the devil filled with free porn sites

Even if many of those who told them that often watch them in secret.¸

Anyway, that's not our business, and this is murder by 'invitation' from the local 'leaders' (0.0001%) there.

What can we do to stop it? I have no idea. Nothing works.

[Ace Acme]

44. You stop it by demanding it stop. By declaring that you will not be complicit in war crimes. nt

[Amonester]

46. Okee dokee.

I demand it stop.

I am not complicit in war crimes.

What if my demand for it to stop doesn't result in it being stopped?

Does that make me automatically complicit of war crimes anyway?

[Amonester]

47. But, wait a minute, if the crimes are committed in a country whose leaders (0.000001%) ASKED

for them to be committed by the foreign 'entity' they INVITED to commit those crimes, I fail to understand how these crimes would be, in fact, WAR crimes.

Aren't war crimes defined by crimes that are committed in a country where the local government has not asked for them, and does not want them to be committed by the outsiders?

Sorry if I'm all confused here.

[Ace Acme]

48. War can be waged legally only in legitimate self defense, or when the UN authorizes it.

There are obvious problems when you permit a puppet government to "request" its puppet master to strike against "terrorists".

[Amonester]

49. So, the real accomplices here are the puppet government

with all that planet-destroying petrol all around them.

I see.

[Ace Acme]

50. The real accomplices are the puppetmasters.

Do you honestly expect puppets to challenge their masters?

[warrant46]

17. OOPS The guys in the trailer in Nevada who dropped the bomb

Are going to get a time out for this. No ice cream tonite !!

[SamKnause]

2. Strikes

Who on the world stage will stand up to the United States and stop the slaughter ?????????????????????

George and Obama need to be prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

I am sick and tired of all the horrendous death and destruction !!!!!!!!!!!

The U.S. appears to be deathly allergic to peace, unity, and tranquility.

We spread turmoil and chaos worldwide.

The rogue empire can not keep this plan of attack up indefinitely.

All of these unjustified actions will come back to bite us in the ass big time !!!!!

[Ace Acme]

4. We've got to kill them over there so they come and kill us over here.

Otherwise the protection racket of the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Security-Media-Lobbyist complex will lose all credibility.

Sorry, nothing can be done. Can't you bleeding hearts see that?

[cpwm17]

32. The US hasn't been called a rogue state for nothing

Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower: http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-State-Guide-Worlds-Superpower/dp/1567513743



It appears the book now needs more chapters.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

3. They hate us for our freedoms.

Blood is on all of our hands.

[Coyotl]

5. Whoever did this should be prosecuted for their crimes.

It took a long time to bring Pinochet to justice, but eventually murdering innocent people must be dealt with.

[Ace Acme]

6. That would be looking back, not forward.

Besides, what we're looking at here is an act of asymmetrical warfare--people putting their toes under our hobnailed boots, engaging in provocative wedding parties to fool our brave joystick jockies into bugsplatting them. Who do they think they are, anyway?

[Psephos]

8. That would reach right into the White House.

Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test of Obama’s Principles and Will
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/opinion/too-much-power-for-a-president.html?_r=0

Obama Told Aides He's 'Really Good At Killing People,' New Book 'Double Down' Claims
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/03/obama-drones-double-down_n_4208815.html

[Coyotl]

9. National leaders are not above the law.

Let the chips fall where they may.

[Ace Acme]

10. Current policy says they are--if they're Americans.

Obama decided that Bush's crimes should not even be investigated, let alone prosecuted--not even the crimes he admitted to on TV and bragged about in his book.

A member of Obama's transition team (Christopher Edley) said they considered investigating the torture crimes, but decided not to out of fear that it would inspire a CIA revolt.

The Democratic Party is apparently on board with the policy that International Law and the Nuremberg Principles do not apply to American presidents. There was no primary challenge to Obama in 2008. It's official. It's a done deal. Bipartisan consensus and all that.

[warrant46]

20. History in the long run

Will Judge these leaders unfavorably.

And some day the victims relatives will use this outrage as a future inspiration for payback

[joshcryer]

54. It's unlikely Obama personally signed off on this one.

This appears to be a "precipitous moment" where the CIA saw movement, looked at the intel, and falsely concluded the people moving were terrorists.

[joshcryer]

53. I agree that those in the chain of command who signed off should be prosecuted.

They should not even be using the damn things but if they do let the responsibility be on the one who orders the strike.

[votesparks]

64. You think the Obamabots

are about to call out the President on this? I think not.

[JackRiddler]

11. Imagine Yemenis were killing "dozens" of US civilians

... in the course of "defending" against crime figures here.

What would this be called? What crusades would be launched in retaliation?

[Mysterysouppe]

12. What happened when the Saudis killed 3000 Americans on 9-11?

The US attacked Afghanistan and Iraq.

[warrant46]

21. At the cost of 3 trillion $$$ and rising

[dbackjon]

23. So Yemen should invade Luxembourg?

[Ace Acme]

15. The Esquire article about the killing of a 16-year-old American by drones in Yemen

... ended with the observation that if Obama thinks he has the right to kill people he considers terrorists by drone strike, then another head of state has an equal right to kill an American head of state if this other guy considers the American a terrorist.

[Amonester]

36. Has it not always been like that since the beginning of time?

Head of 'tribes' then 'regions' then 'countries' then 'empires' considering 'enemies' as 'terrorists' who want to attack them and take their place?

I see no difference, especially when it's a local 'government' (or dictatorship made of 0.000000001%) who 'invite' their 'protectors' (of 0.0000001% like them) to 'keep' their 'domestic troublemakers' in check (like in 'terrified'), because they can't.

[Ace Acme]

43. America was supposed to be different. And the UN was supposed to end that tradition. nt

[joshcryer]

56. Yet it's not and the UN hasn't.

Weird how history works out.

[Ace Acme]

58. So you think the USA shouldn't be different?

You think the USA should diss int'l law and murder people anywhere it pleases, and invade any country anywhere for any reason or no reason?

[joshcryer]

59. I don't think it can be.

I think that it is hypocritical to think that it can or should be because the actions the US takes are actions reserved by all states.

Brazil, condemns the US over spying and wiretapping, admits that it will spy on everyone for the World Cup.

Russia, condemns the US over spying and wiretapping, admits that it will spy on everyone for the Olympics.

Nevermind both Russia and Brazil's own spy agencies already spy on everyone.

The only thing that I think can change is the US can reduce its MIC spending and draw back the BS anti-terrorist actions. But that is in itself a whole industry which employees millions of Americans and almost every jurisdiction in the US is tied to it, causing it to be a very difficult prospect.

Fact is the odds of being killed by a terrorist attack are extremely low. Given that fact terrorism should be addressed proportionately. That is, if you're 12 times more likely to suffocate in your sleep than you are to be killed by a terrorist, 12 times more money should be spent on anti-suffocating while you sleep ads than on terrorism.

Such a reality is hard to imagine, though.

[ronnie624]

63. Thanks for that.

Lot's of good links there to explore.

[joshcryer]

55. I support Yemen filing chargest against the US in the ICC immediately.

Oh wait... the drones are flying out of their airports, in their airspace, and they seem to be all too happy to collude with the US on this.

[JackRiddler]

62. I didn't say Yemen, I said Yemenis.

That the US is carrying out these operations to murder people in a collaboration with the Yemeni state is not in question.

[Scalded Nun]

14. Since this is a 'state sanctioned' activity

I would consider this an act of war. How many 'Oops' moments will it take?

[EX500rider]

16. Act of war against who?

Since we are there helping the Yemani govt at their request.

It was suppose to be a act of war against Al Qaeda but we have been at war with them for awhile.

[Mysterysouppe]

18. Brides and grooms. And their families & friends.

[polly7]

19. So when is this called war? nt.

[840high]

22. For the time being - call

it murder.

[Ace Acme]

30. Tom Tomorrow put it rather perceptively in his cartoon strip

Picture of missiles flying and missile strikes around the White House.

Voice One from inside the WH: "Sir! It's a limited, tailored, military thingamajig!"

Voice Two: "What?"

Voice One: "War! We're at War!"



http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/tag/this-modern-world/page/2/ (scroll down to 9/12/13)

[bvar22]

24. Now, now....everybody just relax a minute.

I'm sure they were aiming at someone who they thought might probably be a bad guy,
so this in not our fault at all.

Bad things might have happened!
(Our politicians LOVE to use the Passive Voice)

Mistakes might have been made.
Bad things might have happened,
but that, in NO way, means than our government, our Party Leadership, and our President are responsible for any of them. These are things that Just Happen,
so stop with the blaming, or you are helping the Republicans.

Besides,
according to the Obama Administration and Sec of State John Kerry,
dropping a few bombs on specific targets in a foreign country
isn't anything for anyone to get upset about,
not an Act of WAR at all,
just an Act of Persuasion.

So don't everybody get all upset and start saying bad things!
All those people who got themselves killed were asking for it by living in a foreign country.

[CrispyQ]

25. ...

[truedelphi]

28. Obama's LikeAbility inspired this parody:

[U4ikLefty]

42. Awesome

[Nihil]

65. Mr.Fish has got that one nailed. (n/t)

[CFLDem]

26. It's amazing how cheap we treat 3rd world lives.

[Amonester]

37. Maybe actually dying-from-freezing-and-hunger homeless humans inside the US

would agree with that.

I don't see too many leaders who really care about it either, except when it's time to go out for photo-ops...

[CFLDem]

38. Good point

[Amonester]

39. It is beyond sad, but what can we do? We tried, and tried again.

Nothing worked.

At this point, I'm just about to give up and focus on trying to help around me.

[CFLDem]

40. I think that's all we can do sometimes.

[Amonester]

41. Yep. I've been asked to do volunteer work at my local soup kitchen last summer

and I said "sure, I'll do it" (even if it was sort of difficult, physically, for me to do).

They were in need of a helping hand all of a sudden, and I've been glad to work there for three weeks.

[orpupilofnature57]

27. Sorry but once again

[olddad56]

29. The campaign against Al Qaeda - the open ended carte blanche to kill where ever we want.

[quadrature]

31. killers were CIA or Air Force? ...nt

[Ace Acme]

45. It seems we don't know. None of our bizness. Security and all that. nt

[joshcryer]

57. The drone program is run by the CIA.

[Thor_MN]

33. Could we maybe set up a wedding gift registry site that includes a "No Tomahawk" option?

The parents of the Bride and Groom respectfully request that the US Military doesn't blow the crap out of our children and their wedding party.

[seveneyes]

34. local security officials said

It could be due to my oversight, but I could not find where the " local security officials" were identified, or any other documented confirmation to the veracity of the unnamed "local security officials."

[Ed Suspicious]

51. How utterly offensive. Sick to death that we need to be reading these stories.

[joshcryer]

52. CIA is trigger happy after the Yemen Hospital attacks which killed 52.

Wonder what the chain of command does so horribly wrong to fuck up the intelligence that bad.

[Alkene]

60. Call it what it is: the war in Yemen.

The war in Syria ended before it began, possibly due to a lack of public support, yet the president's insertion of US forces into Yemen's civil war seems to have proceeded with little public involvement in the way of a national conversation.

Why is that?

[Ace Acme]

66. National Security! And National Security is not public business!

[RandiFan1290]

61. More Christianist terrorism!

Christianity! Religion of peace!