Okay, there is still plenty of debate going on about just how many, if any, civilians were killed in the NATO air raid a few days ago that killed a Taliban commander and 30 of his fighters but now the U.N. has stuck its nose into this and is, of course, taking the side of Afghan President Karzai in reprimanding NATO for the attack. Look at some of this bullshit from the article at The Guardian:
Okay, so let's cut through the bullshit here. The U.N. is not the problem here and NATO could care less about what the U.N. thinks. The problem here is Karzai. Now, this guy has been a pretty damn good leader for Afghanistan and a good ally of the West in trying to bring the Taliban down to elimination but he's been on this kick for a year now about the loss of civilian loss of life. And quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of his misplaced criticisms and whining. Karzai has gone on for a week about this attack that supposedly killed 90 civilians and yet Karzai doesn't say a fucking thing when 125 civilians are blown up each and every week from suicide bombings and IED's from the Taliban.
Let's get to the nitty gritty. Karzai has to decide whether he wants his country and its government as it now exists...to stay that way OR does he want the Taliban to take over again and control the country prior to the coalition's intervention in 2001/2002. That's the choice this clown has to make. If the Taliban are to be defeated, you will have to allow civilian deaths - it sounds horrible but it's just a fact of how the Taliban fight. The Taliban are renowned for conducting attacks on NATO and Afghan troops, then retreating to villages and compounds where they use civilians as human shields. So, under Karzai's plan, the only opportunity to kill Taliban is in the actual attack or before they can get to a village.
In other words, the Taliban conduct an attack killing 2 NATO soldiers and 10 Afghan soldiers, an Apache catches up with them as 30 of the Taliban enter a home on the edge of a nearby village. So that Apache pilot, whether he is American or Dutch or British, has all 30 of the Taliban who just drew NATO blood below him in that one building and he is supposed to slowly turn around and go back to base??!!
I'm sure at some point, NATO commanders will sit down with Karzai and inform him that if he insists that the Taliban be fought with one arm behind our back, then he's on his own. And I have no problem with walking away from this war if this asshat can't make that right decision.
The ministries of foreign affairs and defence said they would seek to regulate raids with a status of forces agreement and a negotiated end to "air strikes on civilian targets, uncoordinated house searches and illegal detention of Afghan civilians".
The UN mission in Afghanistan has backed the government. Afghan and foreign soldiers entered the village of Nawabad in Shindand district last Friday and called in air strikes, villagers told UN investigators.
The UN special envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said in a statement that an investigation "found convincing evidence, based on the testimony of eyewitnesses and others, that some 90 civilians were killed, including 60 children, 15 women and 15 men. Fifteen other villagers were wounded.
Okay, so let's cut through the bullshit here. The U.N. is not the problem here and NATO could care less about what the U.N. thinks. The problem here is Karzai. Now, this guy has been a pretty damn good leader for Afghanistan and a good ally of the West in trying to bring the Taliban down to elimination but he's been on this kick for a year now about the loss of civilian loss of life. And quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of his misplaced criticisms and whining. Karzai has gone on for a week about this attack that supposedly killed 90 civilians and yet Karzai doesn't say a fucking thing when 125 civilians are blown up each and every week from suicide bombings and IED's from the Taliban.
Let's get to the nitty gritty. Karzai has to decide whether he wants his country and its government as it now exists...to stay that way OR does he want the Taliban to take over again and control the country prior to the coalition's intervention in 2001/2002. That's the choice this clown has to make. If the Taliban are to be defeated, you will have to allow civilian deaths - it sounds horrible but it's just a fact of how the Taliban fight. The Taliban are renowned for conducting attacks on NATO and Afghan troops, then retreating to villages and compounds where they use civilians as human shields. So, under Karzai's plan, the only opportunity to kill Taliban is in the actual attack or before they can get to a village.
In other words, the Taliban conduct an attack killing 2 NATO soldiers and 10 Afghan soldiers, an Apache catches up with them as 30 of the Taliban enter a home on the edge of a nearby village. So that Apache pilot, whether he is American or Dutch or British, has all 30 of the Taliban who just drew NATO blood below him in that one building and he is supposed to slowly turn around and go back to base??!!
I'm sure at some point, NATO commanders will sit down with Karzai and inform him that if he insists that the Taliban be fought with one arm behind our back, then he's on his own. And I have no problem with walking away from this war if this asshat can't make that right decision.
Afghanistan demands end to Nato air strikes on villagers
Tensions increased today between Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, and US and Nato troops, with the government ordering a review of foreign military activities amid claims that dozens of civilians have died in raids and air strikes over the past week.
The ministries of foreign affairs and defence said they would seek to regulate raids with a status of forces agreement and a negotiated end to "air strikes on civilian targets, uncoordinated house searches and illegal detention of Afghan civilians".
The UN mission in Afghanistan has backed the government. Afghan and foreign soldiers entered the village of Nawabad in Shindand district last Friday and called in air strikes, villagers told UN investigators.
The UN special envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said in a statement that an investigation "found convincing evidence, based on the testimony of eyewitnesses and others, that some 90 civilians were killed, including 60 children, 15 women and 15 men. Fifteen other villagers were wounded.
"The destruction from aerial bombardment was clearly evident with seven to eight houses having been destroyed, with serious damage to many others," Eide said. "Local residents were able to confirm the number of casualties, including names, age and gender of the victims.
"This is matter of grave concern to the United Nations. I have repeatedly made clear that the safety and welfare of civilians must be considered above all else during the planning and conduct of all military operations.
"The impact of such operations undermines the trust and confidence of the Afghan people in efforts to build a just, peaceful and law-abiding state."
The US military has launched an investigation after saying it was unaware of any civilians killed. An American spokesman said the strike targeted a known Taliban commander and killed 30 militants.
Captain Mike Windsor, a spokesman for Nato, said the force had not received any official notification about the government decision. He said Nato's mission was based on a UN mandate and carried out at the invitation of the Afghan government.
In an angry statement, the government said officials had "repeatedly discussed the issue of civilian casualties with the international forces and asked for all air raids on civilian targets, especially in Afghan villages, to be stopped".
"The issues of uncoordinated house searches and harassing civilians have also been of concern to the government of Afghanistan, which has been shared with the commanders of international forces in Afghanistan," it said.
"Unfortunately, to date, our demands have not been addressed. Rather, more civilians, including women and children, are losing their lives as a result of air raids."
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