At least nine American members of the NATO occupation force were killed today in Kabul Airport when an apparent argument with a pilot turned into a shootout. The pilot killed eight NATO soldiers and one NATO civilian contractor before being slain himself.
The pilot had been employed as a pilot for 20 years, although the Afghan Defense Ministry claimed today that he suffered from some unnamed “mental illness.” There was no indication what the argument was about.
There was an unconfirmed claim of responsibility from the Taliban shortly after news of the shooting went public. Though there have been plenty of such attacks recently, the multiple reports of an argument before the shooting suggests this was not a planned attack but a spur of the moment incident. The Taliban’s claim that the attacker was disguised as a soldier is also false.
NATO has declined to release the nationalities of any of the slain but multiple sources confirmed all were Americans. It is the second time in as many week that eight NATO soldiers have been killed in a single day, and raised the already record April death toll even further.
Great Anti War actually follows up to reveal "Nato" soldiers are Americans. Now how about telling us the record number of US soldiers killed in April. Or is that a secret or is it too many to add up?
Sigh. Does someone, anyone want to try once again to explain to me why this war needs to continue? Why/how does having American soldiers die in this war make us – the country – any safer? Doesn't anyone realize that one day, all those kids we've orphaned or injured are going to grow up and they're going to have a case of the serious ass against the US and that might just find a way to collect? Really stupid.
I am positively sure this pilot was not connected in any way with the Taliban. I have no doubt the Americans with their stupid arrogance mitreated the wrong person which made him go into rage as it's very common with the Afghani people then he within his rage he reached to his weapon and started shooting randomly. Of course, He didn't count to 10 before he used his weapon because it's the case with most of Afghani people because they got very hot temper. I hope this will give lesson to other ignorant American who roam this earth thinking they are above everybody.
Where ever US militarism is been there has been a problem created by its presents, From Japan rape cases to present wars.., from people demands in Europe for US bases to be closed and now this.
There is absolutely no one.., accept Tyrants – kingdom families in Persian Gulf want to accommodate US and EU/NATO militarism presents.., yet no one knows what they do there and get away with it..,
I think they are treated like gods and therefore things are not reported or is censored one way or the other.., I cant imagine that US and state department mercenaries’ in Arab Emirates are acting as nice boys and not doing anything to disturb the peace…?
So a veteran Afghan pilot suffers a "mental illness" when he guns down nine people? In a briefing room no less. So what do you call all the other numb nuts who constantly blow up scores of folks? By the Empires twisted lexicon that would make them "well adjusted". Ergo… previous presidents, Team Obama, and The Man himself (note the Peace Prize), must have the cleanest bills of mental health on the planet. It seems, to them at least, the more you kill the saner you are.
God Bless the brave freedom and resistance from Afghanistan, I realize it is extremely difficult if not impossible for the exceptional ones to understand that desire for freedom and Liberty is stronger than any technological "marvel".
Adolf's Nazis have learned that, Obama's will too.
"Well maybe, President Brain-E-ack isn't quite as smart as 'we the American people' were led to believe."
Sadly, Obama is all rhetoric. High flown inspiring words with absolutely nothing behind them. No balls, no spine, no vision, no instinct for governance, no courage. And now he begins his reelection campaign, and the words — still high flown, still inspiring — usher forth once again.
I can't believe it — I fear my head may explode — but I'm going to quote George Bush:
"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me…ummmmh,…ummmmh… won't get fooled again."
The PeacePrize War Prez needs a trophy. He imagines he can capture Osama and lord it over Bush.
How much longer must this continue? Lets get out.
Ditz, how many Americans have died in Afghanistan in April?
Ditz yourself, clown! April ain't over, is it? Why do you expect antiwar.com to do your research on this? There are groups which try to track casualties but it is difficult. The military figures are usually quite late, sometimes weeks or months. News accounts are incomplete. "Americans" means civilians too, right? CIA, contractors, etc. "NATO" is used to obscure where the dead soldiers are actuallly from.
The answer is, of course, too damn many.
Look in the mirror to see the actual "ditz" here…
Bull, the casualty figures on US combat deaths in Afghanistan are available for nearly all US combat deaths within two or three days of their deaths at the Department of Defense website.
The military is extremely accurate and prompt in reporting combat deaths. The problem is no one is willing to report them on a consistent basis. Not the corporate press, not Democracy Now,
not Anti War.
By the way, I have counted forty six US soldiers killed in Afghanistan this month. But I don't need to know. The average person in the United States needs to know these simple facts.
Too many.
At least 46 Americans killed in Afghanistan in April, by my count, from the DOD news releases.
When a 20 year veteran local pilot guns down nine foreign occupiers in the flight briefing room over some grievance or another, isn't that the usual sign that the occupiers have finally and truly lost their little war?
This is comically stupid.
AW.C should post the death toll in each of the wars and the grand total in a corner somewhere on the web site – and not just Americans but the people in each country.
The toll for Iraq is over a million now according to Lancet articles, peer reviewed by the way. (The main author of the first such report told me he was overwhelmed by the hostility directed against him from the media and others, including death threats. That would be a great interview for Scott Horton.) The death toll for the colonialized peoples emerges gradually – that for the US and NATO SOLDIERS is prompt – but I am not sure about the mercenaries, aka "contractors."
Time to reap what has been sown…..
''
The US is being defeated militarily in Afghanistan. This is clear from following the Department of Defense web site list of casualties, and the location of those combat deaths. The US military is suffering combat deaths throughout Afghanistan but casualties are consistent and at times heavy in Helmand, and Kandahar where the Pentagon claims "fragile gains". The problem with AntiWar and other alt. sites is they are following not leading in reporting the increasing losses and catastrophe that is Afghanistan. Thus the public remains ignorant of the disaster.
“The pilot killed eight NATO soldiers and one NATO civilian contractor before being slain himself.”
Even Antiwar.com reports those killed at NATO Troops. Americans have no media they can trust.
[moderator’s note: As of the initial reportage of the event, all that was known for sure was that they were NATO/ISAF troops. ISAF did not reveal their nationality until later in the day -TLK]
This is one of the few times Anti War has updated a "Nato" soldiers killed to American soldiers killed.
If Anti War writers feel a frequent update on significant US casualties in Afghanistan is too difficult I would gladly provide an update for no charge. The report could be checked for accuracy and edited of course.
The first article I read on this was yesterday, and in it friends of the Afghan pilot said that he had suffered some extreme personal setbacks, having lost his house and a considerable personal nest egg, and was having difficulty coping with this.
Now, what I am seeing all over the place is that the incident is being painted as a vague 'anti-US' rampage by a 'deranged' individual. Why can't the media simply report the story without embellishing it to up the 'sexy' factor?
Man had personal issues + man goes off + Americans present = Americans are killed.
If he had been in the Kabul farmer's market and snapped, we'd have a lot of dead Afghans and this would never even be a story, period- tell me I'm wrong. While I am saddened for the loss of life all around, the fact remains that the only reason this is a story is because… it's a story to fill a blank spot in somebody's news day.