On Wednesday night, US forces carried out their latest disastrous air strike in Afghanistan. A US drone attacked and killed at least 30 civilians, and wounded 40 others in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province.
The victims of the attack were farm workers who were participating in
the harvest of pine nuts in a village’s forest, and a number of children
who were also there to take part in the harvest.
What adds insult to injury, however, was that the village elders had foreseen this as an issue, and specifically sent letters around to officials two weeks ago.
The letters, dated September 7, were meant to assure that the gathering
on the outskirts of the forest was nothing to do with militants, and
was merely hired laborers for the harvest. They were assured this was
not a problem.
So about 200 workers gathered around a camp on the edge of the forest,
lit bonfires, and talked about the security situation at their
respective villages of origin. Then the US drone arrived and started
attacking the camp, sending survivors fleeing into the forest.
US officials downplayed the fact that there was a letter informing
everyone what this camp was. The official statement was that the
existence of the letter would be considered in the investigation.
At the same time, the US statement claimed they were trying to attack
ISIS, and that their initial assessment was that they’d done so, even
though every witness says it was all civilians.
When you run out of legitimate targets you make stuff up.
Legitimate targets dried up 15 years ago.
Pompeo blames Iran.
He’s a sack of lard and a Jesus freak.
sam, Jesus has nothing to do with this!
Agree! People like the fat man make a mockery of Jesus.
I think that’s what Jesus freak means. A phony.
Pompeo thinks he’s a player in bringing about the second coming of J.C. and war with Iran is part of it. First Armageddon, then the second advent is what he believes will happen.
The mass murdering war architects and drone operators will sleep peacefully as usual. Surprised after all these years the Taliban haven’t gotten hold of some anti-aircraft stinger type missile and targeted one of those helicopter/transport troop carriers?
Be sure to tell your representatives we want out and hope karma is a myth cause we got it coming…
Who do they think they’re fooling with these BS lies about “attacking ISIS”. Same MO as in Syria. Say your “attacking ISIS” while you attack the civilians and infrastructure ahead of daesh assaults. Maybe stop airlifting them into Afghanistan and they wont be there??? Have we tried that? I mean, not supporting terrorism would be a great start…
Yeah right, who am I kidding…
World War 3 about to start because of a few pipes and tanks destroyed, but no great drama about tens of innocent farmers killed and maimed by good ole USA.
Even the leaders of the first two world wars had more class than today’s leaders.
I do believe we are more nationalistic than the much maligned Nazi German. What we suffered on 9/11 is small taters compared to what German suffered following WW1.
Just another day in Paradise…
https://ericmargolis.com/2019/08/time-to-liberate-afghanistan/
“Contrary to US claims, Taliban was never a terrorist group. I was in Afghanistan and Pakistan when Taliban was created. Civil war in Afghanistan after the Soviets pulled out led to wide scale banditry, rapine and anarchy. A preacher named Mullah Omar, a veteran of the anti-Soviet war, cobbled together a force of ethnic Pashtun (Pathan) fighters and students to attack the bandits, rapists, and opium-producing Communist forces causing mayhem. This rag-tag movement came to be known as ‘talibs,’ or religious students. Thus was born Taliban.”
“Mullah Omar and his Pashtun fighters went on to drive the Communists from Kabul and take most of the country. According to the UN, Taliban eliminated 90% of Afghanistan’s opium production and brought a rough justice to the nation.”
“But then came the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Caught sleeping on guard duty, the embarrassed Bush administration claimed Taliban was somehow behind 9/11 because it had given refuge to Afghan war hero Osama bin Laden. There was no hard evidence against bin Laden but he became the target of America’s wrath and desire for revenge.”
“Washington demanded Taliban turn over bin Laden. But the Afghan mountain warriors held to their tradition of defending guests and refused, claiming bin Laden would never have gotten a fair trial in the US. But they offered to send him for trial in another Muslim nation like Turkey or Egypt. The US spurned this offer and invaded Afghanistan, oblivious to its title ‘Graveyard of Empires.’”
Carter, Reagan: Taliban good; Bush, Obama, Trump: Taliban bad.
It seems like “precision strikes” aren’t much different from old-fashioned carpet bombing.
Oilfields are obviously more precious than the lives of humans. No surprise here.
Shouldn’t be too long before “ISIS” will need to be attacked right here in the USA. They’ve already made it “legal” to slaughter us without due process.
Prez. Trump,,this blood is now on your hands,,get the hell out, and if the Generals and MIC don’t like it, tell them to run for POTUS!
Prez. Trump,,this blood is now on your hands,,get the hell out, and if the Generals and MIC don’t like it, tell them to run for POTUS!
In Syria, if civilians are killed by govt strikes of any kind that’s proof that Assad hates his own people and did it on purpose.
30 farm workers times 5 family members each, equals 150 new people who hate the US and Americans. Way to go Trump. Continuing the bloody war crimes traditions of Clinton, Bush, and Obama.
“At the same time, the US statement claimed they were trying to attack ISIS, and that their initial assessment was that they’d done so, even though every witness says it was all civilians.”
Pentagon lies as usual! Their reasoning is BS….They were attacking ISIS fighters that they themselves transferred from Iraq to Afghanistan!!!
Our policy toward ISIS makes absolutely no sense. We hate them in Iraq but love them in Syria. I have no idea why we sent a bunch of them to Afghanistan other than as an excuse to also stay in that country to supposedly fight them as in Syria.
….And the Houthi rebels are terrorists for bombing an oil refinery? Kiss my queer ass! America commits a drone strike or twelve every other day and unlike the “terrorists” we don’t just burn crude, we kill women and children foraging for goddamn pine cones. Where are the international calls for reprisals against Washington? The sheer absurdity of the empire’s ultra-violence has reached near Monty Python levels of hysteria. But I’m not laughing. I’m pissed and you should be too.