NATO Air Strike Kills at Least Nine Afghan Civilians
Dutch General Says Killings Prove Taliban Doesn't 'Obey God'
An air strike by a Dutch F-16 fighter jet in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan today killed at least nine civilians, including six children, and wounded at least three others, according to provincial officials.
The attack came against a small village named Khoshal following a firefight between British forces and the Taliban fighters in the area. The British forces reportedly called in the strike.
Dutch General Peter van Uhm confirmed that one of his planes had carried out the air strike that led to the civilian deaths, and while he said he “deplored” their deaths he insists the killing was entirely the fault of the Taliban.
Speaking in the capital city of Kabul, Gen. van Uhm declared the civilian deaths “deeply sad” and said that they proved “once again that the insurgents do not obey God.”
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NATO Air Strike Kills at Least Nine Afghan Civilians | MediaAlternatives
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:00 am
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JohnDowser
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Last sentence is incorrect. The article it links to says: "…once again that the insurgents do not obey God or any laws". Which is a Dutch saying meaning the insurgents do not care about anything in terms of legal matters or morality. It's not meant to mean they don't obey a specific god or law. It's not meant literal.
That said, the general forgets to add the civilian deaths are a calculated "collateral" in NATO policy. Flushing out fighters from houses by air support is a sign of powerlessness. So one shouldn't blame the Taliban for refusing to pin a large target sign on their heads and standing in open spaces waiting to get shot by a superior artillery.