Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement “strongly condemning” the overnight air strike in Laghman Province, in which NATO warplanes attacked a group of women gathering firewood on the outskirts of a village, killing eight and wounding several others.
NATO initially claimed that they “positively identified hostile intent” from the unarmed women before the attack, and labeled them all “insurgents.” They later expressed “regret” and claimed the deaths were “unintentional.”
Provincial officials had already condemned NATO for the attack, saying that it was done without the requisite coordination from local and provincial officials for such an operation. Karzai also promised to deploy a team to investigate the incident.
Incredibly, the early speculation from analysts is that Western officials are going to be angry with Karzai for criticizing the killings publicly at a time when the two sides are already spatting about Bagram Prison. The ceremony for the transfer of the prison was held last week, but the transfer is on indefinite hold after the US demanded that Karzai promise never to give the detainees within anything resembling a trial, and Karzai insisted that was up to the Afghan judiciary to decide.
It is just the latest in seemingly countless incidents of NATO killing Afghan civilians, Karzai criticizing those killings, and NATO officials then publicly wondering whether they need to “replace” him.
I'm sure that NATO (USA) is shaking in fear over such stern condemnations.
PS: Did Karzai cash the check for his award winning performance yet?
If the women that were killed in Eastern Afghanastan died by rocket fire from the air, should it not be expected that when these fly-boys return to the USA and realize what they have done that they will contemplate suicide? Killing should never become a way of life.
Well, that ought to take care of the problem. That Karzai is such a brave puppet. Too bad for him that WikiLeaks showed how he has a little agreement worked out with the invaders in which he feigns indignation in public for whatever is done while apologizing in private and giving them free reign to pillage, rob, kill and maim. But not to worry, his day of reckoning will come too.
This is what the gallant, best trained, cream of the cream army does with their state-of-the-art toys: kill defenseless women and children. Pigs! But when they face those fine Afghan warriors, they wet their pants.