Washington's Wedding Album From Hell [View all]

[G_j]

From TomDispatch:

U.S. air power has set records when it comes to wiping out wedding parties, the most recent in Yemen via a drone strike. That is the eighth reported wedding evisceration since December 2001 in three countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Yemen. That should qualify as a modern record, but in this country, even when covering the latest wedding disaster, no one remembers. And as TomDispatch has been counting these “incidents” since 2008, we are particularly well placed to point out this convenient case of historical amnesia in a situation where you would think -- 8 wedding parties wiped out! -- it might be continuing headline material. Today, in light of what TomDispatch knows about this, I review the situation. I think you’ll find it a unique piece. Tom

http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175787/

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/world/middleeast/yemen-deaths-raise-questions-on-new-drone-policy.html

By MARK MAZZETTI and ROBERT F. WORTH
December 20, 2013

WASHINGTON — In some respects, the drone strike in Yemen last week resembled so many others from recent years: A hail of missiles slammed into a convoy of trucks on a remote desert road, killing at least 12 people.

But this time the trucks were part of a wedding procession, making the customary journey from the groom’s house to the house of the bride.

The Dec. 12 strike by the Pentagon, launched from an American base in Djibouti, killed at least a half-dozen innocent people, according to a number of tribal leaders and witnesses, and provoked a storm of outrage in the country. It also illuminated the reality behind the talk surrounding the Obama administration’s new drone policy, which was announced with fanfare seven months ago.

Although American officials say they are being more careful before launching drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere — and more transparent about the clandestine wars that President Obama has embraced — the strike last week offers a window on the intelligence breakdowns and continuing liability of a targeted killing program that remains almost entirely secret.

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