Inquiry: US Troops Showed ‘Admirable Restraint’ in Not Massacring Afghan Civilians

A Pentagon investigation into a roadside bombing in Kabul found that US troops acted with “admirable restraint” in not massacring civilian bystanders who were present at the incident.

The bombing targeted a US convoy, but hit the civilians more severely, killing one and wounding dozens. The Afghan civilians reacted angrily, shouting at the US troops and some throwing rocks at their vehicles. The troops fired in the air to try to scare off the crowd.

At least, that’s the official US story. Some witnesses claim that the troops fired into the crowd, and apparently US generals thought that was such an obvious move that the narrative of them not firing into a crowd of unarmed civilian bystanders was particularly laudable.

The inquiry rule it was “extremely unlikely” that any of the civilians shot during the incident were shot by the US troops on hand, and suggested that the Afghan military, which forcibly dispersed the crowd afterwards, was likely responsible for any shootings.