NATO Kills Afghan Children in Several Incidents

[JBeee]

US Apologizes for Checkpoint Killings

by Jason Ditz, October 03, 2010


NATO is scrambling to do damage control tonight after a number of weekend incidents led to the deaths of Afghan civilians, including several children. US troops killed two civilians, including an eight year old girl in a shooting in Logar Province, while NATO air strikes in the Helmand Province killed another three civilians and wounded a number of children.

NATO troops also shot and killed a child in Kandahar Province.

All told 13 civilians were killed over the weekend in a series of attacks by both NATO and Taliban forces. The US has formally apologized for the Logar killings, while NATO insists the Kandahar killings were because they thought a “suspected insurgent” was “perceived as about to fire a weapon.”

The attacks are just the latest in a growing number of high profile civilian killings by NATO troops in recent weeks, which seems to have spiked since Gen. David Petraeus took over command. Petraeus was widely expected to tone down the rules of engagement regarding killing civilians, citing damage the rules were doing to troop morale.

Indeed, the attacks weren’t the biggest killings of children by NATO forces in the past week. On Wednesday NATO helicopters in the Ghazni Province attacked and killed four children. Though at the time they identified them as “insurgents,” they later conceded that they were all civilians.

13 other civilians had also been killed earlier in the week in anotherattack on a major civilian target.

 

[mentalfloss]

I guess NATO was tired of only seeing jihadis blowing up civilians.

It's clear that this wouldn't be such a mess if we weren't involved.

 

[lone wolf]

That's a mighty BIG "checkpoint". Score another for propagandic headlines.

 

[Colpy]

US Apologizes for Checkpoint Killings

by Jason Ditz, October 03, 2010


NATO is scrambling to do damage control tonight after a number of weekend incidents led to the deaths of Afghan civilians, including several children. US troops killed two civilians, including an eight year old girl in a shooting in Logar Province, while NATO air strikes in the Helmand Province killed another three civilians and wounded a number of children.

NATO troops also shot and killed a child in Kandahar Province.

All told 13 civilians were killed over the weekend in a series of attacks by both NATO and Taliban forces. The US has formally apologized for the Logar killings, while NATO insists the Kandahar killings were because they thought a “suspected insurgent” was “perceived as about to fire a weapon.”

The attacks are just the latest in a growing number of high profile civilian killings by NATO troops in recent weeks, which seems to have spiked since Gen. David Petraeus took over command. Petraeus was widely expected to tone down the rules of engagement regarding killing civilians, citing damage the rules were doing to troop morale.

Indeed, the attacks weren’t the biggest killings of children by NATO forces in the past week. On Wednesday NATO helicopters in the Ghazni Province attacked and killed four children. Though at the time they identified them as “insurgents,” they later conceded that they were all civilians.

13 other civilians had also been killed earlier in the week in anotherattack on a major civilian target.

And for every civilian killed by NATO or Afghanistan government forces, the Taliban kills three.

Taliban blamed for soaring Afghan civilian deaths; NATO role in casualties down | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Headline | International News

 

[mentalfloss]

And for every civilian killed by NATO or Afghanistan government forces, the Taliban kills three.

Taliban blamed for soaring Afghan civilian deaths; NATO role in casualties down | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Headline | International News

That article clearly confirms that the motivation is insurgency. There would be no insurgents if NATO wasn't there. You can thank them for the splash damage.

 

[Colpy]

That article clearly confirms that the motivation is insurgency. There would be no insurgents if NATO wasn't there. You can thank them for the splash damage.

What in the world makes you believe the insurgency would end if NATO left?????????

It would not. The Taliban want power back in Afghanistan, so they can recreate the Islamic state, and indulge themselves with murdering, starving and otherwise abusing women.

Meanwhile, of course, co-operating with every looney that wants to train people for suicide missions in the west.

Your comment was complete nonsense.

 

[ironsides]

al-Qaida will just attack us again somewhere else. They won't stop till we are all gone or become devote Muslims like them. Some just never learn.


BERLIN – An American missile strike killed five German militants Monday in the rugged Pakistan border area where a cell of Germans and Britons at the heart of the U.S. terror alert for Europe — a plot U.S. officials link to al-Qaida (you know that mythical person) were believed in hiding.

US strike kills 5 German militants in Pakistan - Yahoo! News

 

[Goober]

That article clearly confirms that the motivation is insurgency. There would be no insurgents if NATO wasn't there. You can thank them for the splash damage.

Is that how you would refer to 911 - splash damage?

 

[mentalfloss]

What in the world makes you believe the insurgency would end if NATO left?????????

It would not. The Taliban want power back in Afghanistan, so they can recreate the Islamic state, and indulge themselves with murdering, starving and otherwise abusing women.

Meanwhile, of course, co-operating with every looney that wants to train people for suicide missions in the west.

Your comment was complete nonsense.

The violence became worse as soon as NATO showed up, and has continued to increase since the beginning of the year.

The vicious calculus of insurgency | Erica Gaston | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

In the first six months of 2010, the number of civilian deaths and injuries rose 31%, with the majority (76%) caused by insurgents. Suicide attacks and IEDs against the military killed most of these civilians, who were innocent bystanders.

Insurgent assassinations and kidnapping skyrocketed across Afghanistan in the first part of 2010, from just over three per week in the first half of 2009, to an average of 18 civilians assassinated per week in May and June 2010, according to the UN. Southern Afghanistan has been the most affected by these threats, as US and Nato promises of more troops and operations triggered greater attacks and intimidation by insurgent forces.

And let's not forget while we preach our Western 'values' to the Middle East, we collect their fingers as tropies.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/09/us-soldiers-afghan-civilians-fingers

 

[Goober]

The violence became worse as soon as NATO showed up, and has continued to increase since the beginning of the year.

The vicious calculus of insurgency | Erica Gaston | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

The Taliban read newspapers as well as you and i - They want more causalities - in the news - the west - NATO - is eventually leaving -

Same as the Tet Offensive in 68 - an utter failure militarily for the VC - but for PR - it helped end the war.

The violence became worse as soon as NATO showed up, and has continued to increase since the beginning of the year.

The vicious calculus of insurgency | Erica Gaston | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk



And let's not forget while we preach our Western 'values' to the Middle East, we collect their fingers as tropies.

US soldiers 'killed Afghan civilians for sport and collected fingers as trophies' | World news | The Guardian

And the Taliban-Al Quaeda collect heads from a body while they are still alive -

 

[damngrumpy]

Should we be there? That is not even the question anymore.
the problem is well underway and we have to decide if we are
going to cut and run, or we are going to truly put our money
where our mouth is on the international stage and stand up for
women and children. The Taliban is waiting to come back to
power and the cycle will start over with even more serious
consequences if we leave.
The real issue is how are we going to strengthen the government.
Not the present government, an honest government that needs to
take power. If there is to be any change in Afghanistan or anywhere
else in the Middle East we must ensure there are meaningful jobs,
and the creation of a middle class. Unless that happens we can
look forward to more bloodshed.
One example is, China, another Vietnam. These two nations have
by their standards in Asia, created a middle class of sorts and thus
they have started to work their way out of the third world cycle.
For sure they have a long way to go, but it has begun. In the Middle
East, poverty, allows others to claim suffering will produce heaven
and contentment in the next life with God. If you build a middle class
where people have jobs and they can educate their children, peace
might break out, education might happen, and people might start
looking for their own heaven right here on earth. Wouldn't it be
terrible if this happened. Jobs an economic future, a middle class
and education is what will break the deadly cycle not more bombs,
but pushing insurgents out of populated areas is the only way to
establish a social structure that can survive. We need the
political will of the west and an honest government. There in, lies
the problem, as neither is likely to happen soon.

 

[Goober]

Should we be there? That is not even the question anymore.
the problem is well underway and we have to decide if we are
going to cut and run, or we are going to truly put our money
where our mouth is on the international stage and stand up for
women and children. The Taliban is waiting to come back to
power and the cycle will start over with even more serious
consequences if we leave.
The real issue is how are we going to strengthen the government.
Not the present government, an honest government that needs to
take power. If there is to be any change in Afghanistan or anywhere
else in the Middle East we must ensure there are meaningful jobs,
and the creation of a middle class. Unless that happens we can
look forward to more bloodshed.
One example is, China, another Vietnam. These two nations have
by their standards in Asia, created a middle class of sorts and thus
they have started to work their way out of the third world cycle.
For sure they have a long way to go, but it has begun. In the Middle
East, poverty, allows others to claim suffering will produce heaven
and contentment in the next life with God. If you build a middle class
where people have jobs and they can educate their children, peace
might break out, education might happen, and people might start
looking for their own heaven right here on earth. Wouldn't it be
terrible if this happened. Jobs an economic future, a middle class
and education is what will break the deadly cycle not more bombs,
but pushing insurgents out of populated areas is the only way to
establish a social structure that can survive. We need the
political will of the west and an honest government. There in, lies
the problem, as neither is likely to happen soon.

And that is why if their is a peace agreement you will see as i have stated for a number of years - NATO in the North and the Taliban in the South -

 

[ironsides]

The violence became worse as soon as NATO showed up, and has continued to increase since the beginning of the year.

The vicious calculus of insurgency | Erica Gaston | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk



And let's not forget while we preach our Western 'values' to the Middle East, we collect their fingers as tropies.

US soldiers 'killed Afghan civilians for sport and collected fingers as trophies' | World news | The Guardian

Where would you prefer that violence to be, over there or here at home? NATO walks out today, terrorists will be blowing us up at home. Our children would be getting killed. By the way, who is we? "we collect their fingers as tropies" I do not have anybody's fingers hanging around.

 

[mentalfloss]

By the way, who is we? "we collect their fingers as tropies" I do not have anybody's fingers hanging around.

American troops are still Americans.

Where would you prefer that violence to be, over there or here at home? NATO walks out today, terrorists will be blowing us up at home. Our children would be getting killed.

Well, they wouldn't be able to get access through Airport security. Not these days. And they wouldn't have the resources to declare war on us. And any jihadi events in the U.S. are isolated and would be very minor - and definitely would not necessitate any declaration of war on our part. There's really no serious threat to national security to worry about here.

 

[petros]

I wonder what this year's "October Surprise" will be to sway the election?

 

[mentalfloss]

I wonder what this year's "October Surprise" will be to sway the election?

If it means we're pulling out then I would be thrilled. But that's not gonna happen.

 

[Cliffy]

I wonder what this year's "October Surprise" will be to sway the election?

Anybody's guess, but it sure to be a goody. Look to the most vocally patriotic for the perps.