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US still at large in Afghanistan

 
 
odd jest on horn
03:54 / 04.07.02
At least 30 civilians killed in an airstrike on a wedding ceremony.

quote from article at Reuters:
U.S. Army Col. Roger King, speaking at Bagram air base in Eastern Afghanistan, said a coalition reconnaissance operation came under anti-aircraft fire overnight north of Kandahar and had responded with close air support.

Anti-aircraft fire in question was wedding guests firing into the air in celebration. Newsreport here:

http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=worldnews&StoryID=1153523
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
06:00 / 04.07.02
And of course, the official US wording is now that it was "coalition" forces that fucked up... suddenly they've remembered the allies. Funny, that.
 
 
Lurid Archive
09:02 / 04.07.02
But I think that it is right to blame the "allies" as well as the US. I think that Blair should be held partly to blame for flabby war aims and encouaging US imperialism.
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
09:04 / 04.07.02
For the war, maybe, but not for this particular incident surely? I can't see how the allies are responsible for a single military error not caused by high command...
 
 
Lurid Archive
10:57 / 04.07.02
I suppose I take the view that war is a messy and bloody business. If you accept that a war is worth fighting, then I think you have to accept that non combatants will be killed. Its an awful mistake, but I don't think anyone is suggesting it was deliberate. Were the troops cavalier? I don't think so, but feel free to correct me. It is worth putting pressure on them to avoid this sort of thing, but I think they are already pretty motivated to stop it happening.

In my view, the real crime is that they are engaged in this sort of bombing campaign at all. For that I think we, in the decadent rich nations, can blame all of our own governments for not speaking out against it.
 
  
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