Dispute over deadly US Afghan raid

[bemildred]

Source: al Jazeera



A claim by US forces in Afghanistan that they killed 15 Taliban fighters in the eastern province of Laghman, has been disputed by village elders.

A US statement said on Saturday that soldiers killed the fighters after coming under fire from opposition fighters.

But the elders say all those who died were civilians.

"The operation in Mehtar Lam District, approximately 60km northeast of Kabul City, targeted a Taliban commander believed to conduct terrorist activities throughout the Kabul, Laghman and Kapisa provinces," a US military statement said.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/01/20091248128328968.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. Going by the past, the village elders are correct.

And we've created more hatred and disgust against us.

[bemildred]

2. It looks like we are getting in an argument with Karzai.

it's not good when you get in fights with your own stooges.
And there are elections coming up. Hmmm ...

[Pike]

5. Past?

Every incident needs to be looked at carefully. Accusations made in the past don't necessarily mean anything in this case.

[ohio2007]

3. Isn't that really saying they were "suspected" civilians ? According to al Jazeera

accounts to the Tuesday spin

Dozens killed in Afghan offensive


US-led forces have also detained 11 suspected Taliban fighters during their operations

At least 22 suspected Taliban fighters and two commanders have been killed in continuing military offensive in Afghanistan, US-led forces have said.

They said the fighters were killed during two separate operations on Monday in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

snip

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/2009/01/200912075634296299.html

When Taliban send a suicide bomber into a market, they say; " There are no civilians in jihad"...
http://www.dawn.com/2009/01/24/top7.htm
just out of uniform jihadi's and crusaders I suspect, depending on how the death toll count falls of course.

[struggle4progress]

4. Afghans protest against US on civilian deaths report

Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:14am GMT
By Mohammad Rafiq

MEHTAR LAM, Afghanistan, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Thousands of Afghans protested against President Hamid Karzai and the United States on Sunday over reports of fresh civilian deaths caused by U.S.-led troops during a raid against Taliban militants.

The issue of civilian casualties is sensitive in Afghanistan and has eroded public support for Karzai's government and the foreign troops backing it ...

The operation causing the latest controversy happened this week in eastern Laghman province. The U.S. military said on Saturday that troops, backed by air support, had killed 15 militants in an overnight operation.

Assadullah Wafa, a Karzai adviser, tasked to investigate the deaths, said on Sunday "16 civilians, many of them children and women, were killed" in the operation ...

http://uk.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUKISL379708

[rug]

6. Karzai is now condemning it.

Afghan president: US forces killed 16 civilians

KABUL, Afghanistan – President Hamid Karzai has condemned a U.S. operation he says killed 16 Afghan civilians, while hundreds of villagers denounced the American military during an angry demonstration.

Karzai said the killing of innocent Afghans "is strengthening the terrorists."

He also announced that his Ministry of Defense sent to Washington a draft technical agreement — also sent to NATO headquarters — that seeks to give Afghanistan more oversight over U.S. military operations.

The president's criticism follows a U.S. raid early Saturday that American officials said killed 15 armed militants. Afghan officials said those killed were civilians. Demonstrators rallied in Laghman province Sunday, near the site of the raid.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090125/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Ah geez Obama, bring the troops home already

[ShadesOfGrey]

8. It's way past time to bring 'em home k&r

[bushmeister0]

9. I'm thinking when Richard Holbrooke gets over there he'd better start kicking some major ass.

If this type of crap keeps up, if Obama just lets the military keep stonewalling on these major fuckups, then he's buying W.s' war crimes.

Remember, back in August when the US bombed supossed Taliban fighters in the town of Azizabad, they said they just killed militants, not civilians? Then someone produced actual photos of civilian corpses. Whoopse!

AP:

"A day later it (The US military) said about five died, and eventually a more thorough U.S. investigation found 33 civilians were killed. The Afghan government and the U.N. said 90 civilians were killed."

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/?id=103427

And that sort of thing happens over and over, again. Even when they do actually just kill the bad guys, no one believes them anymore.

I understand in this sort of war stuff like this is going to happen. One would hope, though, that the military would understand this sort of thing is counter-producive to the entire effort and try everything possible to avoid such "accidents."

Under the Bush administration there wasn't any interest in even pretending to care. That has to change, or Obama is going to wind up with blood on his hands, too.

[struggle4progress]

10. Karzai anger at US strike deaths (BBC)

Page last updated at 17:06 GMT, Sunday, 25 January 2009

... In a statement, the president said two women and three children were among the dead in the attack, which the US said targeted a militant carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

Speaking at a ceremony for newly-graduated officers entering Afghanistan's armed forces, Mr Karzai said he hoped the country's own military would soon be able to shoulder more of the burden of fighting the Taleban.

"Our goal is to improve our army and have the ability to defend our country ourselves as soon as possible, and not have civilian casualties anymore as we again had yesterday," he said ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7850146.stm